Counterweights
by KriegDiadem
Summary: The Senshi's lives take a drastic turn after a battle results in an unforeseen consequence.
1. Prologue

**PROLOGUE**

They barely made it out in time.

An old warehouse slated for demolition close to the port of Tokyo. Nighttime, they could barely see anything; their attacks kept missing the monster.

Sailor Mercury carefully kept track, watching as another combined Sailor Mars-Sailor Jupiter attack smashed into a load-bearing pillar.

Still, if her estimate was correct, the building's structure should be able to survive a bit of damage without crumbling down.

She was wrong.

Plaster and concrete began to rain down from the roof.

It was time to get out, she signaled to the others.

They did not have the time to question her as the reason for their retreat quickly became obvious. Steel beams began to crack and whole chunks of the roof collapsed, narrowly missing the Senshi.

A quick move by Sailor Venus, and the monster was chained to one of the pillars of the warehouse. The Senshi quickly esc aped through a high window, the building collapsing behind them.

They waited for a few moments. No monster emerged from the rubble. Sirens in the distance – it was time to take their leave. They fled into the night, heading home from another exhausting battle.

* * *

But just because the battle had been exhausting, it did not mean that Tsukino Usagi would be allowed to sleep in the next morning.

Though she covered her ears with her pillow, she could still hear her mother's unsubtle rant.

"You know, I shouldn't be responsible for an adult, even if she is a child of mine! Adults should be able to wake up on time and get to the places they need to be!"

Usagi sat up and grabbed her clock. It was already 7:40, and she had to catch the eight o'clock train.

She was so used to waking up late that this hardly fazed her.

She quickly changed and stumbled down the stairs. Ikuko shoved a piece of toast and her lunchbag into Usagi's hands and shepherded the young woman out the door.

"GO!"

With a sigh Usagi crammed the toast into her mouth and started jogging towards the station. But after just a few moments she heard soft, rhythmic padding behind her. She stopped and turned around to see Luna catching up.

"Usagi!" the little cat said, "I don't think you should go to school today."

"What?" Usagi replied, nearly choking in her haste to swallow down her breakfast. "_You_ don't think I should go to school? Are you feeling alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine. Listen, Usagi, there's something you should know-"

"Wait, tell me later. Shingo's coming."

Sure enough, Shingo was running up to Usagi. He was clad in the _gakuran_ that the boys at Juuban Municipal High wore.

"Geez, Usagi, you should join the track team," he said, hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath. "Anyway, I thought you'd want to know about this. I can't believe Sailor V would do this! Or any of the rest of them, for that matter."

A quick glance at Luna confirmed that Usagi had every reason to be concerned. Fear gripped her heart as she took the newspaper that Shingo had been clutching in his hand.

MAN DIES IN AFTERMATH OF SENSHI BATTLE

"_He was crushed when the warehouse collapsed," police chief says._

Shingo helped his sister home after she violently threw up on the sidewalk.

* * *

Author's Notes: First chapter will be up soon.


	2. The Fabulous Life of Hino Rei

CHAPTER ONE

She didn't really know who was to blame for how her life turned out.

She had a rich, cute boyfriend (on a 6-month trial period). Her career was on a meteoric rise at highly respected company (five years to go until she would earn her freedom). She now spoke to her father on a regular basis (about business and politics).

In the end, she knew exactly who to blame – herself.

* * *

She parked her shiny red convertible in front of the ice cream parlor, taking a moment to admire its newly-waxed chassis gleaming under the sun. Some wondered why she had deviated from the mysterious-black-sedan-driven-by-a-chauffer style that so many of her fellow executives opted for. How could she answer? This ostentatious red car was not her usual style at all, she knew.

Rei walked into the store, the little bells above the door announcing her entrance. A glance around the shop and Rei quickly spotted Mamoru, who had stood up as soon as he noticed her come in. He bowed as she got nearer, but she only rolled her eyes.

"Come on, Mamoru-san, as if you have to bow to me."

"Please," he replied, "It's my honor that the busiest woman in Tokyo took some time out to meet with me."

"I think I know at least a couple of other women in Tokyo who are at least as busy as me. Anyway, it is in fact _my_ honor to meet with the busiest man in Tokyo," she answered, taking a seat on the opposite side of the table. "How are things at the hospital?"

"Things are going alright. Actually, I do have something to bring to your attention. Have you heard? We recently replaced to members of the board of directors?" Rei shook her head. "Ami's research is on parasitic diseases, you know," Mamoru continued, "But recently, pretty much all her money got diverted to viral diseases."

"Which means…that the new board members are representing the interests of a pharmaceuticals company?" Rei hazarded. Mamoru smiled at his old friend, whose seed of skepticism had flowered beautifully into the flower of cynicism.

"Exactly."

"Fine, I'll see what I can do," she said, drumming her fingers on the table, mind already at work.

"Don't tell Ami that I said anything."

"Well, I won't tell her," Rei replied, "But she'll probably guess anyway."

A waiter arrived with one tall milkshake and one exceedingly large sundae. The two patrons thanked the waiter and grinned at the sight of their food. Over time, the two had developed an insatiable sweet tooth, an embarrassing secret for two adults who liked to act as suave and mature as possible.

"By the way, Rei-san, any more dreams lately?" Mamoru asked, as casually as possible.

"No," Rei immediately lied in response. Mamoru sighed.

"I _am_ connected to the Earth. I can feel when there's trouble coming."

"If you know the answer," she said, slowly, "Then why did you even ask me?"

They stared at each other before bursting out into laughter.

* * *

It had taken her a long time to forgive Mamoru, Rei reflected, but in the end, their renewed friendship proved to be far more fulfilling than their old one had ever been. She was grateful to Ami for convincing her to give the man another chance.

Her hair whipped behind her as she sped down the highway, sunglasses firmly in place to shield against the rays of the setting sun.

"Dial Watanabe Hiroshi," she said. A few moments later, she heard a voice coming from the car's speakers.

"What can I do for you, Hino-sama?"

"I need you to find out who's on the board of directors at Tokyo Medical University Hospital."

"Right away."

A few moments passed. Hiroshi spoke again:

"I've got their names. It looks like two of them have been replaced very recently."

"Yes, those two. What are their names and professions?"

"One of them is Yamamoto Shiinichiro, he is the retired CEO of an advertising company."

"Really? Any relation to pharmaceuticals?" she asked.

"The firm has done several large-scale campaigns for drugs belonging to NOKA Pharmaceuticals."

"I see," Rei replied, her mind frantically racing. Hire the firm to do ads for her company and monopolize their attention? That would be expensive… "What about the other new member?"

"A junior executive at a consulting company. His name is not familiar to me so he may be a rising star: Kumada Yuuichirou."

Rei screeched to a halt, managing to get onto the highway's shoulder.

"What?"

* * *

The last time she had seen Yuuichirou, they were both at Tokyo U. She was studying Japanese literature, of course; he was dabbling in economics, which surprised her, because he had never seemed like the type to be interested in that.

And he wasn't. He spent most of the time playing around on the guitar and managed to gain a horde of fans. They admired him for his good looks, awkward charm, and, of course, his guitar playing. He would sit barefoot, shirtless and wearing only ripped-up jeans under a tree on the main quad and serenade the various girls who stopped to admire him.

He looked like a hippie, or a hobo, or some kind of godforsaken combination of the two. She nagged at him to cut his hair and demanded that he stop wistfully staring at her. He refused on both counts.

His fanclub tried to sabotage Rei, which hardly bothered her until they TP'd the Hikawa Shrine. That had not made her angry so much as deeply shocked her. How could they be so disrespectful to the Kami and her grandpa? In the face of her wrath, they never bothered her again.

They did, however, bother _her_ fanclub, and she and Yuuichirou pent a wearying amount of time trying to convince their fans to at least be moderate with their attacks.

His fanclub only grew when it was discovered that he was the only son of the Kumadas, a most esteemed family in Japanese high-society. She was already known to be Senator Hino's only offspring, but her fanclub in turn grew when her close association to the famous Aino Minako, Kaioh Michiru, and Tenoh Haruka became public.

And suddenly, at the end of their fourth year at the university, Yuuichirou and Rei both pulled moves that surprised their fanclubs.

They had expected Yuuichirou to try to get into music, or at the very least to continue being the light-hearted slacker he had always been. Instead, he went overseas to continue studying business.

They had expected Rei to attend Kokugakuin University and become a priestess, like she had always declared. Instead, under her father's auspices, she entered Kobayashi Corp, a well-known construction company under the umbrella of the Yotensu Group.

Over the years Yuuichirou's face would pop into her head at the strangest times and she would wonder what had happened to him. She had even called the Kumadas, once, but they refused to tell her where he had gone, only saying that he was still overseas. And now he was back, and it seemed that he was ready for his debut into Japan's upper classes.

Representing the interests of a pharmaceutical company on the board of a university hospital was a great start, Rei thought grimly, driving into the parking lot of a sickeningly expensive restaurant. She reluctantly handed her keys over to the valet.

"Forgive me for this excess," she said, to no one and everyone, as she entered the luxurious restaurant.

The host led her to a table. She tried not to gawk as Yuuichirou gracefully stood and pulled out her chair. He bowed as she sat down, she nodded demurely in return.

"Rei-chan…it's been a while, huh?" he said, as he took his seat.

She hardly knew what to say. He was dressed in a tailored suit. His tie sat against his starched collar in a proper knot. A heavy golden watch gleamed on his left wrist. He had cut his hair and his eyes were finally visible.

Was this even the same person she had known at university?

"Yes, it certainly has," she managed to reply. "Yuuichirou-kun, it looks like you have done well for yourself."

"Thank you. I have worked hard to not be a shame to my family or my friends…or you."

Rei crossed her arms and glared at him. How could he already be back at this song and dance?

"I'm thankful to you, then," she automatically replied, politeness ingrained in her though she had meant to say something else entirely.

"Really?" he asked, finally breaking his composure. He looked like an eager puppy.

"No!" she replied, kicking the puppy. Metaphorically. "You haven't even contacted me in five years! What happened?" she demanded.

"I've been in America, learning about business," he replied, looking downcast. "My parents wanted to make sure I was fit to represent them in society."

Well, they had obviously done a good job in training him. "That still doesn't explain why you didn't once get in touch with me," she bit out, feeling irritated at herself for getting irritated at him over something like that.

"My parents have great respect for you. They didn't want me to contact you until I was worthy of doing so."

She grit her teeth, growing ever more irritated. "What? Their respect for me is so great that I can't decide who's 'worthy' of contacting me? Besides, when have you ever listened to them? Maybe that one time when you decided to actually go to Tokyo U, that always surprised me."

"Actually," he said, somewhat sheepishly, "I went there to follow you…but anyway," he hastily continued, "I never really listened to them until…well, you remember that day the Senshi accidentally killed that man?"

Rei felt her body freeze and her breaths grow shallow. She had not at all expected to be subjected to a recollection of that horrible incident while sitting here at an innocent dinner.

"They used to cause a lot of property damage, you know…my dad was one of the few in his circle who supported them. After that day, he was the _only_ one who still supported them. Well anyway your father contacted him and he spent his days working his media and business contacts to try to regain support for the Senshi.

"Then he had a heart attack. He's always had high blood pressure. The doctor says he overworked himself. He survived, but in the hospital he asked if I would prepare to be his successor. Of course, I couldn't say no," Yuuichirou finished.

Rei felt her fingers going numb, and the world began to spin. She had to be careful. "Panic attacks," Ami had solemnly declared, after the first time she had suddenly begun to hyperventilate. Rei closed her eyes and tried to refocus.

"I'm sorry to hear about your father, I hope he continues in good health," she said. "But, let's talk about why I asked to meet with you," she said, making a show of glancing at her watch. "Do you remember my friend, Ami? The short one who was always reading."

"Hmm…oh yeah! Mizuno, right?"

"She works at the Tokyo U Hospital. She's doing research into parasitic diseases – you know, the diseases that people in tropical countries get? The diseases that _won't_ make pharmaceuticals companies very much money?"

"And?" Yuuichirou replied, clenching his fists.

"I know you're on the board I know who you're really working for. You've almost gotten rid of almost all the funds going into parasitic diseases. Yuuichirou-kun, when I knew you, you were a good man. How could you do this?"

"I'm doing my job. This will be profitable for the hospital, too."

"It's wrong."

He glared at her, fists clenched, mouth in a firm line, looking determined to keep his mouth shut.

"Well? What is it? Spit it out," she said, crossing her arms.

"Maybe I shouldn't say this," he said, "But if you insist…I'm not the one working for a _dango_ company. You're robbing taxpayers of millions!"

To her great dismay she felt her throat tightening and tears sprung to her eyes. She had heard the same thing from the other Senshi, from Mamoru, even from her grandfather. But she expected criticism from best friends and closest family. Hearing it from a man who had always viewed her as being near perfection hurt more than she had thought it would.

"I had to! You should understand!" she said, hastily wiping away her tears.

"Wait, don't cry, Rei-chan!" he said, feeling terrible about his earlier comment. But this, he could not really understand. He had always known Rei to be a stringently ethical person. What could possibly have compelled her to work for such a company? Family honor? But being a Shinto priestess would certainly have been honorable. Blackmail? What could someone have on someone as spotless as her?

"Maybe you could…change jobs. We've got some positions open," he offered weakly.

Rei shook her head. "I absolutely cannot. Talk to me again about those openings again in five years."

"Five years? But…" He paused. Just by looking at her, he could tell that she would not budge on this. "Okay. I have another offer, then, though you probably won't like this one either."

They exchanged wary glances. Yuuichirou grabbed a napkin and twisted it nervously in his hands.

"I'll change my vote. In fact, I can even get Yamamoto to change his vote. But you've got to give me a chance."  
"Give you a chance?" Rei asked, baffled.

"Yeah. Go out with me, for a little while. Wait! Before you reply – don't think of it as exchanging yourself for my vote. Think of it as – after spending so much time with you again, I'll have to change my ways. I'll go back to being a good person."

Rei slumped down in her chair.

"Honestly, Yuuichirou-kun…I don't know what a good person is."

* * *

And now she was in her apartment, lying on her bed, hands behind her head, staring at the ceiling, thinking back to the days that immediately followed the Incident.

The first thing Minako said when they had met at Makoto's apartment was: "Damage control."

"We've got to do some damage control," Minako declared, pacing around the living room.

Luna floated the idea of a press conference. Minako nodded.

"We have to make it clear that we're the only ones at fault. And we should accept responsibility, express our regrets, and set up some kind of funds for the family," Ami added.

"Yes, definitely. And – this might sound kind of bad, but – we should get some respected people to express support for the Senshi. We can't have people being scared of us."

As Minako went on about her friends in the entertainment industry, Rei and Makoto exchanged glances. Their guilt was palpable – their attacks, high in fire-power and usually concentrated on one spot, had of course been the ones to cause all that damage to the building.

Consumed by their own guilt as they were, they did not notice that Ami's voice sounded rather wooden. How could her estimates have been so off? She should have known that the building would collapse.

Minako's pacing and frantic brainstorming very poorly hid her own guilt at having failed so terribly at being a leader.

Usagi, meanwhile, was perched on the couch's arm and carefully watched her friends and bodyguards. Her heart went out to the man and his family, of course, and she could not quite grasp what they had done in the name of love and justice. Usually, their failure stemmed from not being able to protect someone – not from causing someone's death.

And so her thoughts turned to the girls – well, women – who sat around her, trying to come to terms with their actions and failing miserably.

"Minako…" Usagi ventured. Minako immediately stopped her pacing and turned towards her, an expectant look on her face. "Maybe," Usagi continued, "We should just take a moment to…" She trailed off, unsure of _what _exactly they should do.

Minako shook her head. "No time. We've got to take action right away. "

* * *

The press conference went terribly, of course. Hearing the news of the man's death from Usagi was the worst moment of Rei's life, but the press conference was the most humiliating.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the press, thank you for assembling today," Sailor Venus began. She was the natural choice to deliver the speech, being the only one accustomed to public speaking in the first place. "This morning, we heard and read of the results of our actions last night. We feel compelled to first express our regrets to the victim, who remains unidentified, and his family. Second, we accept responsibility for his death. We will never be able to make up for what our recklessness caused. The only thing we can do is vow that the man's wife and any dependents he may have, including parents, siblings, and children, will be financially taken care of for life. Still, we are aware that this will certainly not make up for the emotional damage we have caused. We do not wish to impose, so we will not even ask for forgiveness.

"We know we have lost whatever trust society had put in us before this incident. I only hope that as we work to regain that trust, you eventually grant it to us again. We know it will be a long process.

"Finally, we wish to make it absolutely clear that our associates – Tuxedo Mask and Sailors Neptune, Uranus, Pluto, and Saturn – were not at all involved in this. The action and responsibility belongs only to us – Sailors Moon, Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, and myself, Venus.

Thank you."

The audience burst into questions, their names being shouted from every reporter's lips.

"One at a time, please! Yes – you."

"Sailor Venus – how are you going to obtain the funds to support the victim's family?"

"We have means."

"Sailor Jupiter – couldn't you tell that the building was collapsing?"

Makoto desperately glanced at Ami, who answered the question instead.

"When the roof began to cave in, we evacuated. We were not aware that any other person was in the building, though it is our responsibility for not having checked. Furthermore, it is my responsibility that we did not do so, as I did not expect that the building would collapse. From my calculations, the warehouse was structurally sound enough to withstand our attacks. I was incorrect."

"Sailor Moon! It seems like you and your team has always relied on luck to make sure that no human got harmed during your battles."

"Um-well, you see…we're actually usually very cautious with…that kind of thing."

"Sailor Mars! What would your family think if they knew you killed someone?"

"Wait-" Minako said, as she saw Rei's hands clench into fists and her jaw stiffen. And then, to Minako's utter surprise, rather than start yelling, Rei's hands suddenly relaxed, but her chest began to heave in and out at an alarming rate. "Sailor Mars-"

What _would_ her family think?

She fell to her knees, eyes wide, hands grasping at her throat as she tried to take in a breath but it seemed like she could never get enough oxygen in…

"Sailor Mars!" Usagi rushed to her side, shielding her from the flashing cameras, but Rei could still clearly hear the questions being shouted at her.

"Sailor Mars! How will you deal with the guilt of having killed a man?"

What would her grandpa think?

Her heart began to burn. She clutched at her chest.

"Sailor Mars! Do you consider yourself a murderer?"

What would her dad think?

The edges of her vision turned black.

"Sailor Mars! How can you call yourself a defender of humanity?"

What would her _mom_ have thought?

She had to get away from all these people!

"Sailor Mars!"

She had to get away, but for some reason, she could not get to her feet…

She passed out.

* * *

"It seems that somehow, that press conference became the 'humiliate Sailor Mars' hour," Senator Hino mused, as his only daughter walked into his office. Together, they watched as the local news channel replayed the footage of Sailor Jupiter scooping Sailor Mars up and the Senshi hastily exiting the stage. The Senator finally turned the TV off and tapped the desk with his fountain pen.

"Your father knows much, Rei. I know that that girl has saved your grandfather on numerous occasions."

Rei nodded.

"So you've come to appeal on behalf of Sailor Mars and her friends?"

"Yes, father," she said, "I would like you to throw your support behind them."

He sighed. "How did I raise such an idealistic daughter? You don't have to support her just because she's saved your grandfather's life, you know."

"You're a politician. You must have been idealistic at some point."

He smiled at that. "At least I haven't raised a stupid child."

_You haven't __raised__ any child!_, she felt like saying.

"Will you help them, then?" she asked instead.

"It depends. You see, in this matter, there is not much middle ground, and there is much potential damage to my image."

"Therefore in exchange for your taking so much risk, you will ask for much from me in return," Rei stated, immediately deciphering what he had implied. "What are your terms?"

"Lately, I've been suspicious of my allies in the construction sector. I need a sure friend there. You can be that sure friend, Rei. I'll get you in at Kobayashi Corp. You work there for ten years and get to the top. After that, if you hate it that much, you can quit."

Ten years.

By then, she would be thirty two.

Ten years of working at what she was sure was a corrupt enterprise. But if she thought about it, in truth, she likely deserved more than ten years of imprisonment.

This way, she could get the punishment she deserved and still fight for humanity, all the while gaining support for the Senshi.

"Alright," she said.


	3. Cutting Edge

A/N: Shipping becomes more obvious in this chapter, please refer to the "characters" field.

**CHAPTER TWO**

They were losing.

Standing atop Tokyo Tower, the Senshi aimed their attacks at the sky, each hit bringing down a dozen or so of the invading monsters. What were these creatures? Where did they come from? For every dozen they killed, three dozen managed to land on the streets of Tokyo.

For one distracted moment Rei glanced down and watched as one of the monsters ripped a man, limb from limb, blood gushing out from the major arteries.

She hurriedly glanced back up, whispering a prayer to herself, to block out the screams coming from the streets below.

"Mars Flame Sniper!" she shouted. The flaming arrow engulfed a few more monsters, but they were starting to fill the sky, blocking the light of the sun, making the Senshi's attacks almost unbearably bright.

"This isn't working," she yelled.

"I know," Ami replied. She grabbed Makoto and Minako and the three hopped off the tower, landing on the street to fight the monsters that had already landed.

"Burning Mandala!" Dozens of more monsters fell, but they now filled the air so thickly that not a patch of the blue summer sky was visible.

"I don't think this is working much better," Rei said to Usagi.

"As long as we fight had enough, I'm sure it'll be okay," Usagi said, sounding confident.

Rei blinked.

And jumped in fright as Sailor Neptune and Sailor Uranus suddenly appeared in front of her.

"They're doing this all wrong," Sailor Uranus said, shaking her head.

"I told you they wouldn't be able to do it," Sailor Neptune replied. "You owe me five thousand yen," she added.

"What are we doing wrong?" Rei asked, incensed at their casual attitude. She glanced down again, and immediately wished she hadn't – all she could see were piles and piles of human corpses. Other than the three other Senshi still fighting valiantly on the ground, there was not another living human on the streets of Tokyo.

"Tell me!" she repeated, looking back up to face Sailors Neptune and Uranus –

But she looked around, suddenly alone, and then she was in a small, white room, and she suddenly felt a rumbling. The ceiling was falling, she looked around for a door, a window, anything, she felt a large piece of plaster smash against her shoulder and suddenly she was drowning in debris, she couldn't breathe –

She screamed.

And woke up.

"Dammit," Rei said, rubbing her eyes. At first, these dreams had confused her. They had that quality that convinced her they were prophetic dreams, but they were the most nonsensical ones she had ever had. Not even Sailors Neptune and Uranus would act quite so casually in the face of such an onslaught.

But she had finally figured it out. They were indeed prophetic dreams, but her ongoing guilt blurred them into nightmares.

The only thing these dreams told her, then, was that trouble was coming.

She sighed.

Well, she could worry about it later.

* * *

Suzuki Natsumi knew everything that went on in the hospital, as soon as it happened.

Somehow, Mizuno Ami had gotten sucked into Suzuki's circle of friends, and she was now sitting in the cafeteria, listening to her prattle on and on about who was dating who and who was getting promoted and who was going on maternity leave. She sounded like a particularly annoying episode of a bad drama. Not that Ami had ever watched a drama.

She tuned Suzuki out completely as she ate her dinner, instead focusing on her recent research. Soon she would have almost no funds to work with, right when she had gotten at a point in her research where she needed to start clinical trials. How could she do it on a shoestring budget? She'd have to-

"-Hino Rei!" Suzuki said triumphantly, and Ami snapped back to the present moment as she heard the familiar name.

The usual gasps and titters followed.

"Excuse me, Suzuki-san," Ami said, "What's that about Hino Rei?"

"She's dating that new board member – Kumada Yuuichirou."

There was no way. Ami forced down her laughter, resulting in a strange sort of strangled gasp.

"Um, will you excuse me? I need to go check up on something in the lab," Ami said, rising from the table and quickly making her exit. She rounded the corner, pulling her cellphone out of her purse.

"Hi, Ami-chan," said Rei's voice on the other end of the line.

"Rei-chan…I just heard the most interesting thing."

"…It wouldn't have anything to do with Yuuichirou-kun, would it?"

"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked, trying to keep the annoyance out of her voice.

"We've only been going out for a week!"

"You don't even like him."

"I do too! Well, I don't mind him."

Ami resisted the urge to slap her hand to her forehead. Why did she keep doing this?

"Where are you right now?"

"My place. I'm babysitting ChibiUsa. Usagi went out on a date with some guy," Rei said, rather harshly, "He looked like one of those bodybuilders from a fitness magazine."

Ami sighed. "And you threatened him…"

"No! I mean, not really. I just made it clear that if anything happened to Usagi he'd better lock his doors at night."

At times, Ami desperately wished that Makoto was still here to help her. Rei was usually so level-headed, but at times the depths of her irrationality left Ami at a loss.

Ami winced as a loud wail sounded over the phone.

"I've gotta go, Usagi Junior sounds hungry. What a surprise, huh? Call me later."

"Okay, bye."

The line went dead. Ami sighed yet again. She hadn't gotten the chance to ask, but she was already fairly sure of why Rei was going out with Yuuichirou, of all people. Her suspicion was only confirmed when, entering her office, she found a memo on her desk announcing a change in funding allocation…

* * *

THE 3RD ANNUAL TOKYO UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL CHARITY BALL

Sponsored by Kobayashi Corp

The huge banner was draped across the top of the huge double doors leading to the banquet hall. Arm in arm, Ami and Urawa walked up the steps to enter the grandiose building.

As they entered Ami looked around and immediately spotted Rei and Yuuichirou on the stage, speaking with various business-looking types. A few she recognized from the hospital. Urawa nudged her and nodded his head towards the left. She looked and saw Mamoru and Usagi chatting with Setsuna and Hotaru, who had undoubtedly come as Michiru and Haruka's guests. Ami pulled Urawa toward the group and introduced him to Setsuna and Hotaru, who had never met him.

"Pleased to meet you," he said, sounding a little nervous in the face of the tall, dark, and beautiful Setsuna and Hotaru. Ami stamped down the bit of jealousy that she felt. By now, she was rather used to the effect that her Senshi friends had on men and women alike.

Setsuna smiled at him. He blushed. "Likewise," she said, "I am sure we will be seeing more of each other in the future."

Ami stifled a laugh and turned her attention to Mamoru.

"I'm surprised they let you come after that huge pile-up."

Mamoru shrugged. "Someone from emergency had to be here. I'm the handsomest so of course they chose me."

Usagi and Ami rolled their eyes, Usagi smacking his chest hard for good measure.

"Ladies and gentlemen, if you would all take your seats, we will begin to serve dinner."

The crowd shuffled about. Ami, Urawa, Setsuna, Hotaru, Mamoru and Usagi had all been seated at the same table, with four chairs left empty.

Minako appeared, dragging along a handsome man. They, too, took seats at the table. Ami recognized him as another pop idol, though probably one lesser known than Minako.  
"Saito Kenji, my fellow pop star in the world of celebrity," she said, as introduction.

"Pleased to meet you," Saito said, bowing deeply.

"Minako-chan," Usagi said, "You're dating a guy with my dad's first name!"

"Kenji is a common name! It's not my fault," she replied.

Usagi's answer was cut off as Rei and Yuuichirou appeared.

"Rei-chan! This place looks beautiful!" Usagi said, as soon as the two sat on the last two empty chairs.

"Thanks! I'll pass it on to Hiroshi, he's the one who did most of the planning."

"Oh. I should've known."

"What do you mean by that?" Rei said, a warning tone in her voice.

"Nothing," Usagi replied innocently. "I just mean, you know…all the decorations and everything," she said, waving a hand around, "You just haven't got the eye for this sort of thing."

"I haven't got the eye for this sort of thing? Who's the one who wanted to paint her apartment walls black and electric pink?"

"You wanted to paint your apartment black and electric pink?" Minako asked, sounding amused.

"It was supposed to be symbolic," Usagi muttered, crossing her arms across her chest and sinking into the chair.

Minako burst into laughter.

"I think it'd be a nice combination," Hotaru said quietly. Usagi bit her lip. She was grateful for her support, but this was the girl who still kept a million lamps in her room.

"Er…thanks! See Rei-chan, Minako-chan, Hotaru agrees with me!" She smirked, knowing that they wouldn't insult Hotaru. The two exchanged mischievous looks.  
"You're so right, Usagi," Rei said.

"We should have a painting party next weekend!" Minako added, suddenly enthusiastic. "And we'll paint your apartment black and pink."

"Um, actually…"

Saito watched the entire scene with some degree of consternation. Ami heard him whisper to Urawa:

"Are they really…friends?"

"Best friends," Urawa replied decisively, earning a smile from Ami. She reached under the table and grasped his hand.

They were nearly finished with dessert when Rei and Yuuichirou excused themselves and walked toward the stage, arm in arm.

"So," Ami said, turning to the table, "What does everyone think of our new couple?"

This didn't really count as gossip. She was merely gathering public opinion data from her friends.

"They're so cute!" Minako said.

"They look good together," Saito agreed.

"Yuuichirou's a good man," Urawa said rather pointedly. Ami shot him an annoyed look.

"It surprised me," Mamoru said. "I didn't think they'd get together."

Ami quickly realized that Mamoru had been the one to tell Rei about her funding troubles. She glared at him, but his only reply was to shrug sheepishly.

Setsuna remained silent, and Hotaru only blushed.

"Hey, Hotaru, what do you think of your hero going out with Yuuichirou-kun?" Usagi asked with a grin. "Surely you can think of someone better. Like a lovely little firefly, for "

Hotaru blushed harder. "I certainly admire Rei-san but she isn't my hero. You are, Usagi."

Usagi looked embarrassed but was saved from answering when Rei's clear voice sounded over the speakers.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I hope you have all enjoyed your meal. Welcome to the 3rd Annual Tokyo University Hospital Ball. I am pleased to be here as a representative of the sponsor of this ball and a regular donor to the hospital, Kobayashi Corporation. We are pleased to support a hospital that…"

She droned on and on and on about initiatives and cross-lending plans and the technology sector and a new wing…

Ami had to nudge Usagi several times to keep her awake.

Finally: "I am pleased to introduce Kumada Yuuichirou."

Yuuichirou took the microphone and began his own speech about how grateful he and the hospital were to Kobayashi Corp

Ami gave up on keeping Usagi awake.

"...and we give our thanks to the Conservatory's quartet. And now, presenting our main entertainment of the evening, we are pleased to present Kaioh Michiru and Tenoh Haruka! Please enjoy the rest of the ball. Drinks are available from the bar on the far east side."

Yuuichirou gallantly offered his hand to Rei and the two went off onto the dance floor, other couples soon joining them as they danced to a lively waltz.

To Ami's great amusement a line of sorts had formed of those waiting to ask Setsuna and Hotaru to dance. They were quickly whisked away on to the dance floor. Minako and Saitou were quick to join in and mingle.

"I think I'll sit this one out," Ami said. Urawa nodded and instead offered his hand to Usagi, leaving just Ami and Mamoru at the table.

"I never imagined she'd date Yuuichirou to help you out," was the first thing Mamoru said once they were left alone.

"I'm about to give up on her," Ami said. "God only helps those who help themselves."

"And you're god?" Mamoru asked, amused.

"Why don't you help, then?"

Mamoru's smile quickly fell away. "I can't, Ami-san. Maybe it's selfish of me, but…"

"Wait, I didn't mean it like that. You're the furthest thing from selfish."

He smiled, then extended his hand.  
"Enough of this. Let's dance!"

* * *

The ball kept going well into the night, and hours later, the banquet hall remained crowded. Yuuichirou's feet were in severe pain and he had eventually given up and let Rei go to the lions. How could she still be dancing? She was in high heels, too, it was incredible. He watched her glide around with yet another man, twirling and smiling.

Mamoru and Usagi sat down on either side of him. Usagi placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry, Yuuichirou-kun. She's just having a bit of fun."

"It's pretty rare," Mamoru added.

Yuuichirou sighed. "Yeah, I know. I wish she'd come sit by me for just a few minutes, though…"

"Why don't you just ask her to, then?" Mamoru asked, confused. Yuuichirou stared miserably at his shoes.

"We probably can't convince her to come talk to you if you won't do it yourself," Mamoru said doubtfully, "But we can at least stop her from dancing with so many strange men. Usagi, go dance with her."

"What? Why me? You should do it."

"I can't," he replied, "My feet are killing me."

He really did sound like he was in pain. Usagi looked around. Saitou and Minako were nowhere in sight, and Ami and Urawa were deep in conversation with a few other people.

"Alright," she said, flashing a smile at Yuuichirou. "Don't worry, I'll go rescue your lost love."

She strode forward into the crowd, making her way through until she finally reached Rei. She watched for a moment as Rei danced with an older man, his hair white, his face lined. It took a moment for Usagi to recognize him as Senator Hino. Maybe she really would be rescuing Rei. She took a few more steps forward, and tapped the man on the shoulder.

"Excuse me," she said, "May I cut in?"

The Senator looked at Usagi doubtfully before nodding and letting go of Rei.

"I'm proud of you," were his last words to Rei before he walked away.

"He's proud of you?" Usagi asked, unsure that Rei's father was even capable of such an emotion. "What for?"

The slightly taller Rei wrapped one arm around Usagi's waist as Usagi settled one hand to her shoulder and the two began to dance.

"He's proud of me for dating Yuuichirou," Rei said, rolling her eyes. "'It'll benefit your social status', he said."

"Rei," Usagi asked, sounding somewhat hesistant, "I know it's not for social status but…why _are_ you dating him? I think I remember you finding him extremely annoying."

It was Rei's turn to hesitate as she pondered whether or not to tell her the truth.

"He's been extremely annoying for so many years," Rei said, deciding on a half-truth, "That I thought I'd give him a chance. We've agreed to go out for six months, and if I still don't like him like that, he'll give up forever. So he says."

Usagi looked at her, mouth in a thin line, like she knew Rei wasn't telling her everything.

"I think I see him waving at me now," Rei said quickly, before Usagi could ask any more questions. "Let's go see what he wants." They started walking back to where Yuuichirou was.

They were only a few more steps away when they heard a resounding boom. The whole building shook as the northwest wall exploded and seven men armed with weapons and faces covered by ski masks burst into the building. Rei's heart nearly stopped as she saw bloody bodies lying near where the explosion had hit.

Then the screaming began and the whole crowed rushed toward the doors, the sickening sound of people getting trampled barely heard over the general panic. Rei and Usagi grasped each other's hands in an effort to stay together as they fought against the crowd, Rei intent on getting to the main stage to get control of a microphone.

"This door's locked!" Someone in the front shouted. More shouts came confirming that all the other doors had also been locked.

"Ladies and gentlemen," a man's voice boomed over the sound system. "Please lie on the ground with your hands behind your head where we can see them. We will start shooting in thirty seconds if anyone is still upright."

Thirty seconds to get to that stage, Rei thought, as the crowd continued to panic instead of heeding the man's instructions. There was no choice. She reluctantly let go of Usagi's hand and viciously fought her way up to the stage where she quickly grabbed the nearest microphone.

"This is Hino Rei! Do what he says! Everyone on the floor and hands behind your head, now!" she shouted, mustering up her most command voice.

It worked. She stayed standing, watching to make sure everybody had gotten to the ground. Suddenly a sound like a car backfiring resounded through the hall and a bullet whizzed past her, narrowly missing her torso. She quickly dropped to the floor as well.

"Excellent work, everyone. This is a robbery. Please take off all your valuables and lay them on the floor beside you."

Rei started taking off her jewelry and surreptitiously pressed the emergency button on her phone to dial the police.

She heard heavy footsteps coming towards her and she was suddenly hauled to her feet by one of the armed men.

"I bet you've got a lot of valuables hidden under that dress," he said, in a way where she could only grimace at his disgusting implications. He grabbed the bust of her dress and slammed her against the nearest wall. She winced in pain and then let out a sharp yelp as he ripped her dress down the front.

To her surprise she found herself most worried about him finding her Senshi pen in her thigh holster…

Where were Michiru and Haruka? She hadn't seen them when she had gotten on stage…

He pressed the gun to her temple and leaned down toward her.

Rei's eyes followed a rose petal swooping down from above.

"Guided by the new era, Sailor Uranus, appearing magnificent!"

"Also guided by the new era, Sailor Neptune, appearing elegant!"

Same old speech, Rei though, as the two Senshi dropped down from the rafters onto the stage, landing right on the man's head.

"Go," Sailor Neptune hissed. Rei didn't need to be told twice. She stumbled into the wings of the stage as she heard the sounds of gunfire. Her transformation took but a moment and she, too, jumped onto the rafters.

There – she spotted the other girls and Mamoru warily rising from the ground as Sailors Uranus and Neptune engaged the rest of the armed men.

She leaped down from the rafters to join in with the fray. A man aimed his gun at her but she was too quick, she had sprinted at him and melted the gun in his hand before he even had a chance to fire. He screamed in pain as the skin on his palm blistered. She took advantage of his distracted state to kick him in the chin, sending him flying backward in a satisfying arc. She turned around, fists up, ready for more action, but Sailors Neptune and Uranus had already taken care of the rest.

"Nobody move!" The same voice over the speakers. The Senshi looked around, looking for the source of the voice. "I see that the Sailor Senshi have come to ruin my fun."

A man had been hiding in the shadows behind a pillar, and he finally showed himself, microphone in hand. He was dressed in a truly ridiculous costume, a ski mask over his head, billowing cape surrounding the _gakuran _he was wearing.

A rifle appeared from in the air in front of him. He grabbed it and aimed it at the nearest person, a hapless old woman.

"I've always wondered…who are the Senshi? Are they really humans, like the rest of us? Show yourselves, or I'll kill this woman."

A shared glance and they all silently agreed that they had no real choice.

"Alright," Sailor Uranus said, nodding. The three Sailor-suited women took a deep breath -

"No, don't do it!" Urawa shouted, leaping to his feet.

_NOW!_, a voice resounded in her mind as instinct pushed Sailor Mars into action. She dashed at the man as he swung his rifle towards Urawa. She pushed the gun's barrel upwards right as he pulled the trigger, making the bullet fly wildly off target, ending up lodged in the ceiling instead of in Urawa's lungs.

The man dropped the gun and it vanished only for two large, menacing knives to appear in his hands instead. He stabbed at Sailor Mars but now that she was backed with help from Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune his attacks were utterly futile. They were hitting him hard, they could hear bone crunching and the dull thud of fists against flesh, but he was strangely resilient.

The knives disappeared, to be replaced by throwing knives arranged in a neat row between his knuckles. He took two leaps backwards, though he could not get very far away from the Senshi as they followed him relentlessly. One more leap backward and he threw the knives.

Rei winced and fell to her knees as one of the knives hit her in the stomach, and was suddenly flooded with shock and disappointment when faced with the fact that this man had actually managed to land a hit on her.

The man's eyes went wide with panic as he watched Sailor Mars quickly get back to her feet. He disappeared into thin air right as Sailors Uranus and Neptune were about to deliver blows that would have surely crippled him.

By this time the other men had been tied up with ropes, courtesy of Sailor Venus and Tuxedo Mask, while the other four senshi were almost done evacuating the hall through two doors they had managed to bust open.

Task done, they rushed toward Sailor Mars, who was on all fours and breathing quite heavily. Some blood spilled from her mouth.

"Allow us," Tuxedo Mask said, and the others gave way, allowing him and Sailor Mercury to flank her.

"I think you'll be okay," Tuxedo Mask said, looking at the wound.

"She'll be fine," Sailor Neptune said, sounding surprisingly confident. "And if we take her to a hospital there'll be a lot of questions about how Hino Rei got hurt."

"I can't go right now anyway," Sailor Mars gasped, wiping the blood from her mouth. "I need to talk to the police."

"We'll hold them off for a few moments," Sailor Uranus said, and the pair went outside, detransforming along the way.

Sailor Mars slipped back into her civilian state, allowing Ami and Mamoru to remove the knife and bandage up her middle so as to stop the bleeding.

"We'll be waiting at the clinic," Ami said, referring to the emergency clinic they had set up in Ami's condo, where they would go whenever they suffered injuries from their Senshi activities. "Come see us right after you talk to the cops."

Rei nodded. Hotaru and Usagi helped her to her feet as the others departed to mingle with the crowds so as not to seem suspicious.

She clutched the front of her dress together and the three headed outside, as she wondered what she would say to the police.

* * *

"So you knew something bad was going to happen and you didn't tell us. Again."

Minako looked exceedingly disappointed in her. Rei covered her face.

"Mamoru knew, too," she mumbled petulantly.

All eyes turned to glare at Mamoru, who sunk into his chair.

They were in the makeshift clinic, where mere hours ago Mamoru and Ami were debating about whether or not to send Rei to the hospital after all. Rei, growing impatient, had transformed back into Sailor Mars, to see what would happen.

The wound closed up fairly quickly, a stark white scar remaining. Ami and Mamoru exchanged puzzled glances, but both had long despaired of ever understanding Senshi physiology.

The wound still hurt like crazy, but Rei wasn't one to complain. Which was why Ami and Mamoru had to force painkillers down her throat.

When she awoke, there were chairs surrounding her, chairs occupied by the members of their little Senshi group.

"I did know that something was coming, yeah," Mamoru said, very awkwardly.

Haruka laughed. "So our two allies with premonition powers are basically useless to the rest of us."

"Hey!" Rei said. "Anyway, there are three 'allies' with premonition powers."

They turned to look at Setsuna, who frowned.

"I am here to help," she said, then fell silent.

Michiru and Haruka exchanged long-suffering looks before they turned back to Rei and Mamoru.

"Is there anything more you can tell us about this new threat?" Michiru asked.

"I only know that the whole Earth is in danger," Mamoru said.

"My visions have not been as clear as they once were," Rei said. "I'll go to the temple to see if it will help," she offered.

"We will also be doing investigations," Michiru said, exiting the room.

"Where did those cats go, by the way?" Haruka asked, looking around the room.

"They're at my place right now," Minako said.

"Thanks." And with that, Haruka followed Michiru out.

"This definitely won't be petty crime and leftover youmas like we've fought for the past few years," Mamoru said, standing up. "I have to go to work but I'll be back to check on you, Rei-san."

The rest of them stayed, talking long into the night, wondering about Makoto's whereabouts and speculating on this new villain. They were still talking when Rei fell asleep.

* * *

A/N: Now with more violence. Please excuse my action scenes, I will try to get better. The man's "disappearing-and-appearing weapons" trick I blatantly stole from _Puella Magi Madoka Magica_'s Mami Tomoe.


	4. Sickness

A/N: There are going to be a lot of flashbacks in this story. I hope it doesn't get too confusing.

**CHAPTER THREE**

Daily life became almost unbearable.

The normally quick news cycle seemed to be unusually fixed on the story of the Sailor Senshi killing a man.

"-they remain heroes of Japanese society-"

The deep, powerful voice of Senator Hino sounded tinny coming from the small speakers set to a low volume. Rei stopped to watch the television sets that filled the windows of an electronics store. They were all playing the same news clip of her father's speech on the senate floor. He had managed to block anti-vigilante laws specifically targeted at the Senshi, but his popularity was plummeting. The next election would be a close call for him, and whenever he spoke with her she could hear the undercurrent to his words –

This had better be worth it.

She clutched her copy of her freshly-signed contract with Kobayashi Corp. Getting hired had been embarrassingly easy for Hino Rei, senator's daughter and soon-to-be Todai graduate.

The news clip changed to one of Pop Idol Aino Minako enthusiastically throwing her support behind the Senshi. A few of her famous friends echoed the sentiment, but what were the words of a few pop idols in matters of life and death? Few would suddenly decide to put their trust again in the supposed warriors of love and justice.

Rei shook her head and continued to walk, until she found a bookstore. Entering it, she headed straight for the manga section, ready to reward herself for surviving yet another difficult day.

"Small steps," Ami had said. "Just go day by day."

Ami looked exhausted, dark circles under her eyes, her usually lustrous hair turned brittle, her already small build thinning to worrisome proportions. Rei wasn't sure if she should take the advice of her friend, who clearly was not coping too well, but who else could she turn to?

Minako had become obsessive about the details of the building collapse. Rei could not bear to see the pained look on Usagi's face whenever the topic was brought up. Makoto refused to talk about it at all, hastily changing the subject every time. She thought of Michiru, of Haruka, of Mamoru, even…they wouldn't understand. They couldn't.

Her eyes surveyed the table with the latest issues of the manga magazines. She picked up _Shounen Jump_, turned to her latest guilty pleasure, _Super Sentai Universal Fighters_.

It was a mistake to do so. As she flipped through the pages, she realized that the story closely mimicked that same story she was hearing everywhere, that same story she could hardly bear to hear. How could they have gotten it to print so quickly? She turned to the last page, looked at the devastated expression on Universal Fighter Red's face.

She ripped the magazine in half, ignoring the surprised looks of the other customers. On her way out she tossed a large bill on the counter, a silent apology to the cashier.

At least Rei and Yuuichirou's fan clubs had both maintained support for the Senshi.

"After all," her fan club's president said, "They've saved so many lives. We still consider them heroes."

She nodded, feeling a little better about herself.

"With the amount of firepower they need to use to fight those monsters," the president continued, "It was basically inevitable that someone would die at some point."

She suddenly felt much worse.

_Firepower_.

She stared at her hand, felt the power thrumming just below the surface.

She heard a ring. She casually slipped into a narrow alley, ducked behind a dumpster, and pulled out her communicator.

Minako's face popped up on the screen. She named an intersection, and the screen became black again.

A moment later Sailor Mars leapt onto the nearest rooftop. She hopped across the cityscape, and was soon joined by Sailor Jupiter. The two exchanged quick smiles and continued on their way until they arrived at a park. They rushed to the sounds of a man screaming, a monster roaring, and a woman grunting.

There was Sailor Venus, chain wrapped around a large, dog-like monster, its jaw snapping perilously close to her arm.

"Go!" she shouted at the man, but the man seemed paralyzed, the only movement that of his vocal chords as he screamed in horror.

Sailor Jupiter dashed towards the man, but if anything, his screaming only grew louder.

"No! Get away from me!" he yelled. He took two steps backwards and stumbled, falling to the ground.

Sailor Jupiter stopped in her tracks, shocked.

There was nothing for it, Rei thought. Minako was stuck holding back the monster, and Sailor Jupiter looked frozen in place.

"Mars Flame…" she started, drawing back the bow.

She paused. That man was awfully close to the raging dog monster. So was Sailor Venus, to be sure, but she could take a hit, probably. The man would probably fry in an instant. If she missed- but she couldn't think like that. How could she miss? She was the regional archery champion. She had managed to hit the fake Queen Nehelenia when she was using Sailor Neptune as a shield. Surely she could hit the monster without hitting the man. The man was at least a meter away.

Definitely.

"Mars Flame Sniper!" she shouted, as she pulled back the bow and let the arrow fly, heart thumping as she carefully watched its path. It would hit the man, she thought, heart thumping painfully. Probably. She'd kill him. It would miss the monster and she would cause yet another death and –

The arrow disappeared in mid-air.

Sailor Mars blinked, not sure of what had just happened. In a panic, she turned to Sailor Jupiter. Sailor Jupiter suddenly snapped back into action.

"Sparkling Wide Pressure!" she yelled, the ball of electricity whipping towards the monster.

It, too, disappeared midway through.

Sailor Mars and Sailor Jupiter exchanged looks of consternation.

Venus's chain snapped.

The monster was almost upon the man when Tuxedo Mask slid in between them, holding his cane up so as to block the monster. The cane snapped in half and Tuxedo Mask grunted as the giant monster landed on him, the two falling heavily to the ground.

Sailor Moon appeared, dashing into the clearing. She picked the man up despite his protestations and spirited him safely away.

Sailor Venus tried to once again to catch the monster in her Venus Love Me Chain, but in vain. The chains kept breaking as soon as they encircled the monster. Tuxedo Mask was not faring well, bleeding from deep scratches at his shoulder and stomach.

"Mars Flame Sniper!"

Sailor Mars tried again, intent on hitting the monster. She could do it. This time it would land right on its target, for sure, she had tons of experience using her attacks, she could handle her –

_Firepower_.

It disappeared again.

Frustrated, she rushed at the monster directly. Sailor Jupiter followed suit, not even bothering to try her attack again. The pair wrestled the monster away from Tuxedo Mask, allowing him to crawl away. Sailor Mars could feel her muscles straining as the monster struggled to break their hold on him. But her arms were wrapped firmly around his snout, forcing his jaw shut, and she would not let go, no matter how much her arms burned. She dug her heels in and winced as he scratched at her, three strips of cloth ripping off the side of her sailor suit's bodice to leave behind three angry, deep red wounds.

Sailor Jupiter had gotten a hold of one of the monster's back leg and was fighting to keep his legs firmly on the ground as the monster reared up off its front paws, Sailor Mars flying upwards as she kept her hold on his snout.

"Shoot!" she screamed at Sailor Venus and Sailor Moon, who seemed hesitant to attack while their friends were so close to the monster.

"Do it!" Sailor Jupiter yelled, and that seemed enough to galvanize them into action.

"Venus Love and Beauty Shock!"

"Silver Moon Crystal Power Kiss!"

Their attacks _would_ be blinding, Sailor Mars thought, forced to snap her eyes shut.

Moments later she felt an intense burn at her legs and then she was falling to the ground as the monster disintegrated into ash. She landed on her feet, but her knees buckled soon after. She crumpled to the ground, falling heavily.

Sailor Moon rushed to her side, Sailor Venus dashing by them to look after Sailor Jupiter. They finally got to a sitting position, and Sailor Mars and Jupiter both winced as they looked at each other. Sailor Jupiter had clearly gotten a kick to the face, if her crooked nose and busted lip were any indication, and Sailor Mars knew she was bleeding profusely from her side.

Tuxedo Mask, with bandages now covering his injuries, limped over to Sailor Moon and Sailor Mars, falling down heavily beside them. Sailor Mars bit her lip as he pulled out his emergency kit and began disinfecting her wounds.

"Where did the man go?" she asked Sailor Moon, noticing that there was no sign of him nearby.

"Ran away as soon as I let him go," Sailor Moon replied.

* * *

"I think you two…" Ami stopped and sighed. If she could think of one word that would describe both of her friends sitting before her now, it would be: proud. But they deserved to know what had happened to them, she decided. "I think you two choked."

Rei and Makoto immediately had disbelieving looks on their faces. Mamoru, Usagi and Minako averted their eyes from the awkward scene.

Their debriefing took place at Makoto's. Ami had apologized profusely for missing Minako's call – she had been in the middle of an exam and had not heard the communicator go off. They all assured her that it didn't matter – they had beaten the monster, after all.

Though it was not as easy as it should have been.

"What do you mean, _choked_?" Rei asked, trying not to sound offended.

"I mean you couldn't complete your attacks…because you were afraid to," Ami said, wincing at how that sounded.

To her surprise, Rei leaned back on her chair and looked pensive. Makoto tapped her foot, impatient.

"So, how do we fix it?" she asked.

"It'll probably be difficult. It's only been a few weeks since…that Incident. It'll take time and practice. I wish I could refer you both to a psychiatrist, but…"

* * *

But that, Rei recalled, had been flatly impossible.

Although those in health professions were bound to patient confidentiality, none of the Senshi would trust a stranger with their secret.

Urawa, of course, was well aware of their secret, and Rei was under the impression that Usagi's friend Naru and her brother Shingo were also aware – but they were hardly strangers.

She glanced at the man standing next to her. She was sure that when at work, Yuuichirou was ruthless, doing his best to gain profits for the company and for himself. But this was hardly a fault she could judge him for, she thought. She, too, had crushed competitors to climb the corporate ladder, and had ruined the careers of those who got in the way of Kobayashi Corp.

But outside of work, Yuuichirou had regained that guileless, carefree, noble demeanor that she remembered from her Tokyo U days. He once again had the face of someone who could be trusted. Maybe she could trust him with her secret, tell him of her double life as a Sailor Senshi. She'd have to ask the others first, of course – once he knew about her identity, the link to the others would be obvious.

"Rei-chan," he said, waving a hand in front of her eyes. She blinked.

"Uh…sorry. Could you repeat that?"

He smiled good-naturedly, taking her spacing out in stride. "I said, what should we do for your birthday?" He pulled a pamphlet out from his suit jacket's inner pocket, presenting it to Rei, who took It and scanned the cover. "What do you think of a weekend trip to Osaka?"

Rei opened the pamphlet, looking over the beautiful photos of Osaka's scenery. She had been all over the world on business trips, she realized, but had only been to Osaka once, on an ill-fated school trip.

She was not opposed to the idea of the trip, but with what had happened at the ball, she was somewhat hesitant to leave town unless absolutely necessary.

"Let me think about it," she said, giving the pamphlet back to Yuuichirou. She winced at the disappointed expression on his face, but she had no time to explain further as a familiar motorcycle pulled up beside them.

"We've got a situation," Mamoru said, keeping his voice calm.

"I didn't drive, so I'll have to go with you," Rei said. Mamoru nodded, reached into his bike's storage, and pulled a helmet out for her. She reached for it, quickly gave the baffled Yuuichirou a goodbye kiss, and slipped it on.

"Where are you going?" Yuuichirou asked, glaring at the handsome man on the motorcycle.

"An emergency with one of the girls," Rei said, straddling the back seat and grabbing on to Mamoru's voice. "I'll call you later!"

With a sputter the motorcycle zoomed off at a rather unsafe speed. Yuuichirou grimaced, tempted to get into his car to follow them, but – he'd have to trust her.

A few raindrops began to fall on him, and he heard the rumble of thunder in the distance.

* * *

Lightning flashed across the sky and Sailor Moon, momentarily blinded, slipped on the slick sidewalk and painfully skinned her knees. She quickly scrambled to her feet again as she heard the thunder rumble across the sky. She squeaked but otherwise kept running towards the sounds of fighting, and for a moment she felt proud and impressed with herself at not letting the terrifying rainstorm distract her.

"Hold it right there, villain!" she shouted. She stood, defiant, the lightning flashes silhouetting her figure against the river bank.

The villain of the moment was that accursed man, the one who had held the ball's attendees hostage. A line of children now stood facing the raging river, held at gunpoint by the man and his comrades. On the other side of the river stood Sailor Venus and Sailor Mercury, both clearly hesitant to attack.

"Threatening children with guns! Unforgivable!" Sailor Moon continued, striking a pose. "A Sailor-suited Pretty Soldier of Love and Justice: Sailor Moon! In the name of the moon, I will punish you!"

"I _know_ who you are!" the man yelled in response, pointing his pistol at her. "Don't you dare attack, or you can say goodbye to these kids."

"Why are you doing this? Let the kids go, and face us!" Sailor Venus grit her teeth, trying not to sound too murderous. Why did the bad guys always have to attack children? What was their problem?

"I'll let the kids go, if you answer a few of my questions," he answered, grinning manically. "First question: why are _you_ doing this, huh? Who made you soldiers of love and justice?"

The three women exchanged confused looks. The Ginzuishou? A strange concept of Fate?

"We're doing this because it's our duty," Sailor Mercury answered. "With the powers we've been given, we must do the utmost to protect love and justice."

"Admirable," the man replied, his crazy grin softening into a smile. "For that, I respect you. My second question, then: what are your civilian identities?"

"Wait," Sailor Venus said, "Before we tell you that, can we at least have the honor of knowing who will be the one to demask us?"

"Of course. These men and women around me are my loyal Followers. You may call me the High Priest."

"There's no way in hell I'll ever call you by that title," a quiet, deadly voice said from behind the man. He whirled around, only for Sailor Mars to grab his throat and haul him up off his feet.

Roses shot through the air, piercing a few of the Followers hands and forcing them to drop their guns. The other Followers quickly looked up only to see Tuxedo Mask. They aimed their guns at him and fired a few shots, the bullets all uselessly hitting his cape.

"Idiots," Sailor Venus muttered, as she launched a number of radiant chains out that wrapped around the hands of the Followers, forcing them to drop their guns.

"Tuxedo Kamen-sama!" Sailor Moon yelled. He landed on the ground and immediately set about attacking the Followers. Their large number caused him some difficulty, however, and the Senshi quickly jumped over the river to help him.

Sailor Mars, meanwhile, had wrestled the High Priest to the ground. Both of them were covered in mud, but her hands remained tight around his throat, no matter how much he kicked and punched at her.

"Why do you want to know who we are so badly?" she asked, tightening her grip. A knife suddenly appeared in his right hand and he slashed at her bare thigh. She winced as she felt sharp pain and the dull throb of blood leaking out of her body.

A thought occurred to her.

"Why don't you just stab my neck?" she asked. He remained silent, instead slashing at her arms in an effort to get her to let go. She was forced to loosen her grip a bit, which was enough to allow him to yell at his Followers to change plans.

She cursed and tightened her grip again, but suddenly she fell forward as his body disappeared from underneath her. Sailor Mars spat out the mud that had gotten into her mouth and looked up to see that the Followers had given up on fighting the Senshi and were instead kicking children into the river.

"What the-"

In the moment that it took Sailor Venus to capture the Followers in a giant loop, four children had been forced into the river.

Sailor Mars dashed toward the shore and jumped in, Tuxedo Mask, Sailor Moon, and Sailor Mercury having already dived into the torrid waters.

She winced, thinking that her cuts were likely to get infected by these terribly unhygienic river waters. She cast about until she could get her head above water and gasp for air, and immediately set about looking for the children. There – she spotted one being dragged down the river. She swam towards him, helped immensely by the current, and managed to grab on to the panicking boy. Keeping his head above water was a great feat as he desperately struggled, but she managed to navigate them to the side of the river and hauled him up on to the bank.

The little boy immediately began to cry. Sailor Mars sighed in relief and began to cough uncontrollably, some water having gotten into her lungs.

"You don't sound too great there," Sailor Mercury said, kneeling next to her.

"I'll be fine. The kids?"

"We got them all."

"Anybody call the police?"

She hardly needed to ask the question as a second later she heard the familiar wail of sirens in the distance.

"I guess so. Come on." Sailor Mars nodded and picked the boy up. He was somewhat heavy, looking to about four years old, and was obviously traumatized by the experience as he sobbed into her shoulder.

"Shh, it's okay sweetie," she whispered, following Sailor Mercury up to where the other Senshi were standing, the Followers still struggling to get out of Sailor Venus's lasso, the children huddled together in fright.

"I still have a few friends in the police force," Sailor Venus commented as casually as she could. "I'll stay and make sure these guys get into the right hands," she continued, nodding her head at the Followers.

"I'll stay too, just in case," Tuxedo Mask said. The other Senshi nodded and made themselves scarce as the black and white police cars came to a stop a little ways away from where they stood.

* * *

"The Followers have not said a word to the police," Minako said, as the crew debriefed at Usagi's apartment. "I mean, literally, not a single word."

"And I still don't understand why the High Priest didn't just kill you," she continued, directing this comment at Rei. "You are ridiculous."

"It was a fair question!" Rei said, her arms crossed against her chest. She leaned against the wall and with a pensive expression, began tapping her foot. "He could have easily…severely injured me."

"We don't even know what he wants, really," Usagi said. "It can't be just our names, right?"

"I wonder. On the plus side…" Minako said, turning the volume up on the television set.

"…I am eternally grateful to the Sailor Senshi for saving my boy. I had a bad opinion of them after that salaryman died, but now I think I may have been too severe." The man being interviewed by the local news station bowed in a silent apology to the Senshi.

"It's not like we haven't saved people since that incident," Rei said, scowling at the TV.

"Yes," Ami answered, "But this is the first time we've saved a dozen kidnapped children just weeks after saving a banquet hall full of people."

"I have to admit we are getting more awesome by the day," Minako said, grinning. "Even I am starting to get impressed with myself."

"Starting? Minako-chan, you've always been impressed with yourself."

"Shut up, Rei-chan! By the way, Mamoru-san, I think you should keep away stay away from fighting this High Priest man."

"What? Why?" he asked, sounding incensed.

Minako shook his head and walked over to sit down beside him, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Clearly, the High Priest would have no problem if you died. I mean, his Followers shot at you! But it seems like he's hesitant to kill us Senshi. And of course, I'd rather you not die."

"Well thanks for that," Mamoru replied, slumping a bit in his seat. Then he sat up straight again, shrugging off Minako's hand. "But, you know, there's no way I'll let you girls fight such a dangerous guy alone."

"But there's _five_ of us, not counting the others-"

"I think he's right," Ami interjected. "His Followers tried to shoot Neptune, Uranus, and Mars, too, at the ball, and as for the High Priest himself…so far we've only been able to see this non-lethal behavior when he has been engaged in fighting with Sailor Mars. Who knows if the same policy applies to the rest of us?"

"Then we'll have to find out," Minako replied in a careless tone. "I call dibs on the High Priest next time."

* * *

Ami was deep in blissful sleep, napping at her desk after having pulled an all-nighter trying to catch up on the work she missed when Sailor Venus had suddenly called for assistance. Ami dreaded the days ahead of her, where she would no doubt get less than five hours of sleep a night. Her hopes were that her investigations into the High Priest's identity would yield something, but from previous experience, she knew this was highly unlikely.

"Ami-chan!"

Suzuki Natsumi burst into Ami's office, the door hitting the wall as it swung open to its fullest extent. Ami snapped into wakefulness, leaping to her feet shoulder-width apart, her fists clenched and up in front of her.

Suzuki laughed. "Wow, Ami-chan, you know karate or something?"

Ami let her fists fall to her side and embarrassedly dropped back into her seat, only to be pulled back up again by Suzuki.

"You have _got_ to hear what happened in emergency today!" she said, dragging Ami out of the office and through the hospital halls until they found themselves in the emergency ward.

"Is it really that important?"

"Kind of!" Suzuki replied cheerfully. The pair carefully wound their way down the halls, avoiding the rushing gurneys and harried doctors. Finally, they made their way to the front desk, where Mamoru was leaning with his elbows against the counter, hands covering his face.

"What's wrong, Mamoru-san?" Ami asked. At times – well, every day, really – Ami was grateful that she did not work in emergency medicine. They worked few shifts, but what difficult shifts they were.

"I have no idea!" he said, letting his hands drop to slam against the counter. He turned to face Ami and Suzuki. "We just got a huge influx of patients, about twenty or so. They're all unconscious but they keep whispering the same thing over and over again – 'Kill Hamilton! Kill Hamilton!'"

"Isn't that a city?" Suzuki asked, casting about her memory.

"The Duke of Hamilton?" Ami suggested.

Mamoru shrugged. "Who knows. We haven't been able to wake any of them up yet."

The three doctors winced as they heard the annoyingly familiar sound of the beeper. Suzuki looked down to her waist and sighed.

"Ugh, pediatrics," she sighed. "See you later," she added, as she walked away.

"Any idea what caused this?" Ami said, worriedly glancing about. "Something that _we_ should concern ourselves with? I highly doubt that there's any disease in existence that makes unconscious people whisper 'Kill Hamilton' in their sleep."

Mamoru smiled. "Yeah, I doubt it." Then the smile dropped. "All that we know is that they lived in the same apartment complex. When the police find out more, they'll probably-"

"Chiba-sensei!" A harried nurse rushed up to the two. "One of the patients woke up!"

"I'll be right there!" he said, and after a hurried farewell to Ami he followed the nurse.

* * *

As soon as the patients woke up, they stopped feverishly muttering their 'Kill Hamilton!' mantra. They were instead utterly confused as to why they had passed out, had no concept of who or what Hamilton was, and were in perfect health. It was a mystery, and the more Minako mulled over the events of the incident, the more she was convinced that this was caused by something supernatural. Maybe this was related to the High Priest. Likely it was related to the High Priest, since he obviously had some supernatural powers.

His costume was _so stupid_, she thought, almost offended. The Shittenou at least had the good grace of having nice militaristic uniforms.

The phone rang, interrupting her musings both deep and not-so-deep. She lazily reached over to the coffee table that stood in front of her couch and picked up her cellphone. A look at the caller display only yielded a number with an unfamiliar area code.

"Aino Minako," she replied, reclining back onto her couch.

"Minako-chan! It's me-"

"Mako-chan!" She recognized the voice of her elusive friend in an instance. "Where are you?"

"Brazil."

"Any cute guys?"

"I'm in _Brazil_. Anyway, Minako-chan, guess what! I think I'm going to be coming back to Japan soon."

"When?"

"I don't know. But soon!"

"That's great news! Call me as soon as you get back. But oh no…the other girls will kill me if they know I've been in contact with you this whole time."

She thought back to Rei's wistful sighs, Ami desperately wishing that Makoto were in Japan, and Usagi constantly comparing her cooking to Makoto's.

"Well, I didn't have much of a choice in that."

"That's true. And it's not like you call more often than every other year or so, _Mako-chan_."

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry! But, don't I sound much better now?"

It was true. Makoto was starting to sound like her old, enthusiastic self again. Minako smiled to herself. All the money and worry she had put into her friend's trip had certainly been worth it.

"Yes, you definitely do! Is that why you're coming back?"

"Sort of. But I might have found something interesting, maybe. I'll tell you when I can talk to you face to face. I've got to go for now, I'll see you soon!"

"Okay! Bye!"

The line went dead. Minako sighed, stretched out onto the couch so that she was now lying on her back, and stared at the ceiling. She half-hoped that whatever interesting thing Makoto had found had to do with their current High Priest problems, and half-hoped that it was absolutely unconnected.

She groaned as she heard her balcony door slide open. She was on the _12__th__ floor_, for goodness' sakes…

"I would have let you up if you rang," she said, sitting up to find Michiru, Haruka, Setsuna, and Artemis walking into her apartment. "I don't even know how you got up here."

"Don't listen to that liar," Artemis said. "She's gotten into Rei's office through the window at least four times that I know of."

"Shut up, Artemis! Tea, anyone?"

The three women shook their heads, choosing to remain standing near the balcony door.

"We've got some news for you," Haruka said. "Whatever virus affected those Hamilton victims was in the water. And that virus? It's magical."

"We've already left a sample to Ami," Michiru said, before Minako could say anything to the effect.

"How did you even find the virus?" Minako asked, shaking her head in disbelief.

"We have our ways," Michiru replied, with a soft smile. With that, the pair walked across the apartment and out the door, hand-in-hand, taking the normal way out. Hopefully no one looked too closely at the security cameras, Minako thought.

Minako turned back to look at Setsuna and Artemis. For a moment, all three were silent.

"They didn't even think it would be a virus," Setsuna said flatly. "But just in case, they tested literally everything in that apartment complex. Finding a magical virus was a surprise indeed."

"I'm sure it was very surprising," Minako said, as sardonically as she could manage. Setsuna only smiled in response and stepped back out onto the balcony, carefully closing the door behind her.

Minako stretched herself back onto the couch, only to realize she had made a mistake when Artemis landed heavily on her stomach.

"Oof! Artemis!"

"Sorry," he said, claws kneading the fabric of her shirt. After sufficiently messing up her shirt he curled himself comfortably on her stomach. She stroked his head, sighing once again.

The mysterious High Priest. A magical virus. Makoto's imminent return.

She glared at the perfectly relaxed Artemis.

* * *

A/N: Thank you for the reviews, **Bin82501**, **AkatsukiSakura73**, and **DmeridianJ**! To you, and to all my readers: I hope you enjoy the rest of the story as the mysteries keep piling up!


	5. Injury

A/N: Sorry, this chapter is a little rushed. And yet it still ended up being so long...

**CHAPTER FOUR**

Yuuichirou, being somewhat old-fashioned, always opted for the radio over CDs and mp3s whenever he was driving. He had his car radio tuned to his favorite station, where a comedy duo was riffing on the events of the day. He was only half-listening to their poor routine, mind focused more on the events of the disastrous business meeting he had just attended. He sighed, shook his head, and thought instead of the evening ahead he had planned with Rei. She had declined the trip to Osaka, citing work, but Yuuichirou had the sinking feeling that she just did not want to spend so much time with him alone. Instead, tonight, they would have dinner together and go watch a concert by the Tokyo Philharmonic. Tomorrow was the actual day of her birthday, which she insisted she had to spend with her friends. He would never understand the strange friendship she shared with those women who were so very different from her, but he could certainly respect it.

Still, he felt as if he were making no progress at all in convincing her that their relationship had long-term potential.

So engrossed was he in thought that as he pulled into the parking garage of Rei's condominium complex he almost missed the dramatic change of tone of the duo on the radio.

"We have just received a message from the High Priest and his Followers, who has been terrorizing Tokyo dwellers for the past month," one of them said, the comedic tone in his voice gone entirely.

"In hopes of brokering a compromise," the other said, "The High Priest would like to meet with the Senshi and Tuxedo Mask at an undisclosed location at an undisclosed time. The Senshi may obtain the location and time from this station's director of programming."

A compromise? As if the Senshi ever would, Yuuichirou thought, getting out of his car. A few minutes later he was standing at the door of Rei's condo, fumbling with his keys. Before he could find the right key, the door opened. He looked up and frowned as he noticed the apologetic expression already forming on her face.

"Yuuichirou-kun…I'm going to have to cancel for tonight."

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Something very important came up. Our plans tomorrow might have to change, too…I'll let you know as soon as I can."

She walked back into her condo, Yuuichirou following her, trying not to feel too upset. He slumped onto the couch as she walked into her room, to change out of the dress and fancy jewelry she had put on for their outing.

"Well, is it going to take long? Maybe I can wait for you here," he called out, before reaching for the remote and turning on the TV. Her set was always turned to this same news channel, he noted idly. The High Priest's offer was the headline news of the evening.

"I might not come back tonight at all," she said, walking back into the living room in decidedly casual clothes. She frowned at the television screen. "If I do, it'll be really late. You can stay if you want, I guess."

She walked over to the coffee table and grabbed her keys from where they sat in a small bowl before heading back into her room to get her purse.

"Where are you going anyway?" she heard Yuuichirou ask from the living room. She froze. She would feel terrible lying to him, but the part of the truth she could tell him sounded bad even to her ears.

"Rei-chan?" he asked again.

She sighed. Nothing for it. "I'm going to Mamoru's," she said, stepping back into the living room. "The girls are having a bit of a group emergency," she quickly added. Yuuichirou answered with nothing but silence.

"Alright? I'll be going, then. See you," she said, walking towards the door.

"Wait, Rei-chan," he said, standing up from the couch and nervously running a hand through his hair. He did not mind confrontation, but he had the feeling that he would be stepping on sensitive ground here… "I really don't like this. How would you feel if I ditched plans with you to hang out with one of my exes and a bunch of guy friends? If," he added, "you would even care." He flinched when she turned around to face him with one of the scariest, angriest expressions he had seen in her life, but the expression quickly dropped away as she sighed.

"You shouldn't be afraid to tell me things like this," she said, sounding somewhat guilty. "I'm sorry. You're right. I would care, and I wouldn't be very happy either. But this group emergency thing…I can't include you unless the others agree to."

"Then ask them," he said, pushing his luck.

They stood in silence for a moment, Rei with a strange, wary look, Yuuichirou keeping his face carefully neutral.

This was always the problem with boyfriends, Rei thought. The few other relationships she had had always ended in screaming matches after she cancelled plans one too many times, after she kept prioritizing her friends over her boyfriend, after her mysterious air went from fascinating to frustrating.

Maybe she could indeed trust Yuuichirou with her secret, and give their relationship a fighting chance. She had no doubts about his character. Her childhood friend would never betray her, one of the few things in life she had complete confidence in. But how could he not figure it out himself? Surely it wasn't so hard to deduce that she and Sailor Mars were one and the same.

She took a deep breath, exhaled, and came to a decision.

"Okay. Let me just step outside for a moment." With that, she left Yuuichirou standing in the living room as she stepped into the hallway that led to the elevator. She pulled her cellphone out from her purse, dialed Mamoru.

"Rei-san?"

"Mamoru-san! Are the rest of them already there?" Mamoru stayed silent for a moment, letting her hear Minako and Haruka in a heated argument. "Sorry, I've been delayed. I need to talk to everyone, put me on speakerphone."

Mamoru did as instructed and Rei was suddenly assaulted by at least three voices asking if she was alright and why she was taking so long in coming.

"I'm fine. I'll tell you why I'm taking so long – I got into an argument with Yuuichirou."

She was again immediately flooded by far more inquiries than she could possibly answer.

"Yes, give me the chance and I'll tell you why! He wants to know why I cancelled on him. I'm thinking of telling him."

Stunned silence.

"Of course, I'll need your approval."

"He _doesn't_ know already?" Michiru asked, and Rei could almost feel her opinion of him falling dramatically.

"No, he doesn't," she answered.

"Well, bring him over," Mamoru said, sounding somewhat doubtful, "We'll talk it over and decide when you get here."

* * *

The whole ride to Mamoru's place was uncomfortable. Rei seemed to not even notice that Yuuichirou had been asking questions the whole time. Her hands were tightly gripping the steering wheel, her eyes intense, her mouth in a thin line. Finally Yuuichirou gave up on asking questions and instead sat in silence until they arrived at the apartment building. They got out of the car and went up the elevator, still silent. Silence as they walked down the hallway, arriving at number 803. Rei knocked.

The door swung open. Mamoru, who had opened the door, stepped aside, revealing a whole gaggle of girls sitting on every surface they could find.

"Please, come in," he said, ushering the pair inside. Yuuichirou stood a few feet from the doorway entrance, feeling nervous as six pairs of eyes swung to eye him suspiciously. There were also two cats there, who somehow also looked suspicious. No, certainly he was just being paranoid. His eyes finally landed on Usagi's, who looked curious more than suspicious.

"We're going to tell him," Minako pronounced, standing up from where she was sitting on the floor.

"Even you?" Rei asked, head turning to face four other women Yuuichirou had seen only a few times before. Hadn't those two performed at that disastrous benefit?

"Yes, as a favor to you, Rei-chan," the blonde one – wait! That was Tenoh Haruka, the racecar girl! – answered. "We need to have a few words with him first, though."

Rei raised an eyebrow, amused, but gestured toward Yuuichirou. "Go ahead."

Yuuichirou found himself pushed out of the apartment, the door slamming shut behind him. That Tenoh woman and the other one, Kaioh Michiru, were suddenly surrounding him, and despite his height advantage their posture and stern expressions made them look very, very intimidating. He shrank back.

"Um…"

"Listen," Tenoh said, "Since we met our princess," – princess? – "We've change a little bit. Quite a bit."

"But we're still very unlike the girls sitting in the apartment right now," Kaioh continued. "Very, very unlike them."

"Because, unlike them, we will use lethal force on humans who threaten us." What? Lethal force?

"Humans have such fragile spines. Easily broken." The pair looked him up and down, and Yuuichirou suddenly realized that human's bones were indeed quite fragile.

"If you ever reveal our secret, or even threaten to, I can assure you, you won't live for another hour."

A final glare and the two women stalked back into the apartment. Yuuichirou took a moment to collect himself and get his heartbeat down to a normal rate before following them back in. At his wide-eyed look Rei stifled a laugh. He turned to look at her, stunned. He had no idea she had such...friends.

"Well, we've had our say," Haruka said. "Please, do the honours," she added, nodding at Rei. Rei nodded back. From her sweater pocket she pulled out a weird looking stick with a strange bauble on the top. She held it up in the air.

"Mars Planet Power, Make Up!"

What the-

And before he could really grasp what was happening, he saw Rei enveloped by light, for just one moment, and suddenly Sailor Mars stood in front of him. Where had Rei gone? His eyes trailed the span of her naked thighs, upwards, until he met her fuming eyes and he could see it – Sailor Mars was Rei! Or rather, Rei was Sailor Mars?

Either way he got a rather powerful kick in the chest that sent him reeling backwards. He winced as his head smacked against the wall.

"Don't be a pervert!" she said. Definitely Rei.

He rubbed the back of his head, turned to face the other women. There was no way…

He watched them all stand up, heard them modify that refrain of Rei's with different planets. Six Sailor Senshi stood in front of him, and he blinked when he realized that Chiba Mamoru was now Tuxedo Mask.

"Are you happy now?" Sailor Mars asked.

Yuuichirou was at a loss for words.

"I've already spoken to the radio guy," Sailor Venus said. Aino Minako, international pop star, a warrior of love and justice. This cannot be, Yuuichirou thought, feeling overcome by guilt at all those doujins he had stashed in his closet. Rei's best friend, Usagi, was Sailor Moon. Her ex was Tuxedo Mask. Her friend at the hospital was Sailor Mercury. The racecar driver and the famous violinist, known for being in a suspiciously close relationship, were Sailors Uranus and Neptune. The two dark, quiet women in the corner – Sailors Pluto and Saturn. Was there a planet missing? Jupiter?

"We're meeting the High Priest and his Followers at 2AM…at the docks," Sailor Venus continued, sounding somewhat hesitant.

Sailor Mars, Moon, and Mercury flinched at that. Horrifying realization dawned on Yuuichirou.

"Rei-chan," he whispered, but she either did not hear him or chose to ignore him as she remained stonily silent.

"It sounds like a trap," Sailor Mercury said. "But…I think we should go anyway. Who knows what they'll do if we don't?"

A few sounds of agreement.

"Alright, people," Sailor Venus said. "We'll go in first," she said. Yuuichirou had no idea who 'we' was, but the others seemed to have an instinctive grasp of this since they all nodded seriously. "You four and Tuxedo Mask will be backup and I get the feeling we'll definitely need it. Is that alright?"

"That's fine," Sailor Neptune answered.

"I'll go after the High Priest if needed," Sailor Venus continued, glaring at Sailor Mars, who shrugged. "And we've got just about enough time to get there, so let's go!"

"Wait, I'll come with you!" Yuuichirou blurted out.

"No, you won't," Rei said, sternly. "As you can imagine, it's pretty dangerous. I'm sorry to say this, but having civilians around only makes things harder. Go to Ami's place," she said, shoving her keys at him. "And wait there. You'll see."

And with that, the whole crowd of them rushed out of the apartment. Yuuichirou slumped down against the wall, dazed.

* * *

Yuuichirou had fallen asleep at Ami's apartment and had therefore completely missed Rei's call. Several hours later when he listened to the frantic voicemail she had left, he cancelled all his plans for the day and left a message to Rei's assistant Watanabe to have him do the same for her. He then rushed to the hospital. He slinked into the waiting room and immediately spotted Minako pacing up and down one of the aisles.

"Aino-san," he said. She looked up, smiled weakly, and turned her head. He followed her line of sight and saw Rei sitting on one of the uncomfortable plastic chairs. Usagi was lying across three of the chairs with her head in Rei's lap. She was clearly fast asleep. Yuuuichirou walked towards them and was gratified by the soft smile he was graced with as Rei looked up. She put a finger to her lips. He nodded as he sat down beside her.

"She's been crying for hours," she said. "She fell asleep just a few minutes ago, finally."

"I bet you haven't slept at all, though," he said sternly. She smiled and shook her head.

"Of course I haven't," she replied.

The two sat in silence for a while, watching Minako pace.

"So…what exactly happened?" Yuuichirou asked.

* * *

"So you think someone's going to get injured?" Sailor Venus whispered to Sailor Mars, as the two ran side by side somewhat ahead of the rest.

"I know someone's going to get injured," she responded, quietly. "I just don't know who, or how badly."

"Hmm. So was this a dream of yours, or are your fire readings are finally working again?"

"Kind of both," Sailor Mars replied, and left it at that.

After a few more minutes of running they finally reached the docks. They stood at the edge of a nearby building, and were soon joined by the rest of them.

"By 'the docks'," Sailor Uranus asked, "Did he specify any place in particular?"

"No," Sailor Venus replied, "But if the High Priest is as sadistic as I think he is, it'll probably be right at or close to…the warehouse."

"Okay then," Sailor Uranus said, "Tuxedo Mask and I will stay in the shadows in case you need any help. Sailor Neptune, Pluto, and Saturn will stay here and watch for any outside intervention and will help us if we get really desperate."

"Sounds good," Sailor Venus said, receiving nods from the rest of the group. She glanced at Sailor Moon, Mars, and Mercury in turn, and nodded. "Let's go!"

The four rushed forward, heading towards the remains of the warehouse. They came to an abrupt stop as the place came within sight. There stood the High Priest, still wearing the ski mask but having ditched the cape and gakuran in favor of a trench coat. Well, that was slightly better, Minako thought. The Followers stood around him, guns in hand. They mostly held pistols and revolvers, though a few had longer shotguns.

Oh, well. She moved forward, the other three trailing her carefully, until they too stood in the remains of the warehouse. Jagged beams and pieces of concrete covered the ground. The city had refused to clean it, leaving it instead as a memorial of all victims of Senshi activity. The day they had announced that had been an especially painful day for them.

"Greetings, Senshi," the High Priest's voice boomed out. "I am happy to see you made it. Let's talk a little, shall we?" He walked forward. Sailor Venus took the initiative and met him halfway, and the two now stood in the centre of the rubble, just a few feet away from each other.

"What do you want?" she asked, hands loose at her side, ready to react if he did anything with those knives held loosely in his hands.

"What do I want? I simply would like to know who you are. Your real identities, if you will."

"Why do you want to know who we are so badly? Planning to attack our friends and families, are you?"

"Not at all," he said. "To be honest, I wish to know your civilian identities simply because I greatly admire you Senshi. You are all so graceful, good, just, and beautiful. In this world of darkness, your purity is almost too much to bear."

"Our…purity?" Sailor Venus asked, uneasiness swelling in her heart.

"That is correct. You might ask – if I hold such a high opinion of you, why did I bring you here, of all places? The place of your biggest failure." He turned his back, raised his arms with palms facing upwards in a grandiose gesture. Sailor Venus felt somewhat shocked when she immediately thought – _I could kill him, right now, with his back turned like that_. She clenched her first, ridding her mind of the thought.

"I brought you here because I do not consider that particular incident to have been a failure. A memorial for your victims? No. Rather, I hold this place to be a memorial of your sacrifices. You rid Tokyo of whatever monster you were undoubtedly fighting. The cost of that was one man. A great loss, of course, but that monster would have killed many more, had it not been for you.

"And yet the world turned against you. They hated you for having broken their perfect, unrealistic image of you. The Senshi – they are not supposed to make mistakes. They must fight against monsters, win every time, and make sure no one gets hurt in the process.

"But of course," he continued, whirling around to face Sailor Venus once again. "You always get hurt in the process." He quickly slashed at her with his knife, made a scratch on her forearm that began to ooze blood. She did not react. The Senshi standing behind her shuffled a bit, but did not move from their places.

His eyes followed the flow of the blood as it slipped down her arm and dripped onto the ground, splattering red onto the ruins of the warehouse. "If I cut you, you do indeed bleed. It must be hard to suffer so much, and yet those who you save appreciate your suffering so little."

"It is hard," Sailor Venus said, eyes fixed on her forearm.

"I doubt that any of you are familiar with Christianity," he said, "But I would say that your little group has a Messianic quality, certainly. Taking on the suffering of the world, but being hated by it. You will probably end in an ignominious death. You do not deserve such a death. You do not deserve such suffering. And yet, it seems that you are destined to suffer.

"It seems to me, however, that though you must suffer, your hearts at least ought to be stained by no impurities. I have been observing you Senshi for a long time, and have gotten a better understanding of you in our fights. I now see that there is someone who has stained one of your hearts – maybe a better word is, who has left a scar in one of your hearts.

"The pure hearts of women are damaged most when subject to the impure hearts of men. Isn't that right, Sailor Moon?"

She flinched. Sailor Mars and Mercury both drew closer to her.

"I would like to speak with him. The one you call 'Tuxedo Kamen-sama', as if he were to be respected."

Sailor Venus stared into his eyes, in an attempt to discern his intentions. His eyes reflected nothing but amusement.

"No, you will not be speaking to him," she finally decided.

"That is a shame. Are you sure? That blood, seeping down your arm right now – it flows in all of you, including Sailor Moon." He held up a knife, aimed it right at Sailor Moon, who stood frozen in place.

"No-"

But she should have known that such a threat would bring Tuxedo Mask out of hiding. He stepped into the light from behind the broken beam where had been standing.

"I'm here. What do you-"

"Kill him!"

With that, the Followers opened fire on Tuxedo Mask. He was quick, but not quick enough to outrun a bullet – by the time he got back behind the beam, he had been hit several times already. He fell to his knees, clutching his chest. From the shadows, Sailor Uranus sent an attack upwards, the light a signal to the other three waiting further away from the docks.

As soon as the order left the High Priest's mouth, Sailor Venus rushed at him, fist flying. She landed a hit right on his face and he went reeling backwards. She did not let up, dashing forwards several steps to kick him in the solar plexus and then deliver a blow to his head with her elbow. He staggered backwards, hands at his head. He was surprisingly resilient – anyone else would have been knocked out by now. She kicked him shin and as he fell forward she delivered one more kick to his head. There – he went flying and landed with a thump on the rubble, unconscious. She ran towards him-

And suddenly a man with straight, shoulder-length white hair and a disdainful look appeared beside him.

"Useless," the man said. He put his hand on the High Priest, and then he and the High Priest were gone.

"Dammit!" she said.

She looked up. Sailors Moon, Mars, Mercury and Uranus were doing well enough with the Followers, she decided, opting to run back and check on Tuxedo Mask.

Most of the Followers had ditched their guns for knives and were now slashing at the Senshi. They were easily but painfully dispatched, as kicking knives out of their hands always resulted in slashes to their shins, and trying to grab their hands meant their wrists got cut open. A few Followers opted for escape, but they were caught by Sailors Neptune, Pluto, and Saturn, entering the clearing from the other side.

By the time they finished knocking out the Followers, Sailors Moon, Mercury, Mars and Uranus were unsteady on their feet, dizzy with blood loss. But the three younger women still ran back to where Venus and Tuxedo Kamen were, leaving Sailor Uranus and her crowd to watch over the Followers.

Tuxedo Kamen was gasping for air, blood seeping from injuries everywhere. Sailor Mercury kneeled down beside him and winced. With their quick healing a few bullets might not have been so bad, but he had been hit several times in the stomach and chest, and it looked like a few had smashed his kneecaps.

"We need to get him to a hospital," she decided, as she watched his body give up on maintaining the Tuxedo Mask form and his clothing change from the dark suit to his regular wear. She, too, de-transformed, pulled out her cellphone, and dialed the emergency services.

"I'll ride with him, the rest of you will have to drive," she said, and then turned her attentions to responding to the emergency operator.

* * *

"Wait," Yuuichirou asked, after Rei finished telling him the course of events. "What is all this about the impure hearts of men? Did something happen between Usagi and Mamoru?"

"I guess I never told you," Rei said with a sigh. "You know, Usagi and Mamoru were married once."

"What?" he gasped.

"Yeah," Minako said, finally taking the seat beside Yuuichirou. "Where do you think Chibi-Usa came from? Things started out so well…"

* * *

Actually, Mina-chan, things weren't so good until a year after the Incident.

Shut up, Rei-chan, I'm going to tell the damn story.

The few weeks after the Incident were slow and agonizing, but eventually time passed and it was time for Rei and Usagi to graduate. Oh, Ami? She was in medical school, of course, so she still had two years to go. Anyway, Rei had her job at Kobayashi Corp all lined up after her graduation and immediately started working like a maniac. Don't give me that look, Rei-chan, 80-hour work weeks are normal only for doctors and international celebrities.

Usagi, though…she had a harder time of it. She was graduating, too, from Daito Bunka University. Yes, we were all shocked when she actually got into university. It took a lot of tutoring on Rei and Ami's parts, they spent so much time with her that I'm surprised they managed to pass their own exams for Todai. Usagi did alright, she worked hard, and got her qualifications to be an elementary school teacher. But she just wasn't up for job-seeking after the Incident.

Her parents were starting to get worried after two months went by and she still hadn't sent out any resumes. She'd spend her days just walking around town, watching people live their lives. When I asked her if she didn't want to be a teacher after all, she told me that of course she did, and left it at that. Mamoru was starting to get desperate, too. They had been together a long time by that point – about 8 years! He was used to the energetic, upbeat, kind, klutzy Usagi, not a listless imitation of her. She almost stopped eating entirely, and according to Luna – um…a friend of ours – she hardly slept.

It was September, and still nothing. I have to admit, the rest of us were having our own problems dealing with the Incident – we probably weren't very helpful. The atmosphere between us was kind of oppressive. Whenever we were together, the Incident would always be hovering there, in every glance, every discussion. Rei actually took some medical leave and headed to the mountains to meditate or whatever ex-mikos do. Another friend of ours – Sailor Jupiter – she just couldn't take it anymore. She quit her job at the florist's and went to the U.K.

At least Ami and I had something to focus on, though maybe that wasn't so great, either. Ami was obsessively focused with her studies, and I was obsessively focused with becoming even more famous so that my influence would get even greater. But Usagi, she had nothing to focus on, like Ami and I, and no escape, like Rei and Makoto. Mamoru being Tuxedo Mask, it was kind of painful for her to see him, too, a constant reminder of her life as Sailor Moon.

Actually, I offered to fund a trip for her, just like I did with Makoto – what? Of course I did, where do you think she got the money from? No, her trust fund couldn't have maintained her for a trip like that.

Anyway, she refused, because she did want to stay close to us, she said. Being away from us would kill her, but being near us was depressing her. Ami tried to convince her to take some anti-depression medication, but she refused that, too.

I still don't know how she did it. I don't think she's over the Incident entirely – I don't think any of us are. But she did manage to resume a normal life. Mamoru, Rei, Ami and I have talked about it a lot…I think it was because of that one time, when a monster attacked a preschool. She happened to be around at the moment, and didn't have time to transform into Sailor Moon since the monster was about to kill a kid. She just jumped in front of the kid, as Tsukino Usagi, and blocked the attack. She kept distracting the monster until the woman at the daycare could evacuate all the kids, and then she called for us.

She nearly died, and none of us were very happy with her, but I think that was the moment when she got out of her depression. She had kind of disassociated herself and Sailor Moon, that was her way of coping – Sailor Moon was the warrior of love and justice, and it was Tsukino Usagi that had killed the man. That's why her attacks worked when she was Sailor Moon, and Sailor Mars' and Jupiter's didn't. What? Oh, sorry, Rei-chan. Why did my attacks work? That's not important…

But anyway, in protecting that kid as Usagi, maybe she managed to reconcile herself and Sailor Moon again. Well, I could be wrong about it, but the whole double life thing is always kind of hard for us, you know. We're so powerful as Senshi and we deal with such huge responsibilities. It's almost laughable to think that at the same time, we're just normal Japanese citizens with normal lives and professions.

That was in March, almost a year since the Incident. After that, she applied to a few jobs and landed one at her old elementary school. She's a good teacher, I think – she's got a surprising amount of patience with children. Things went better that year. Rei had fewer panic attacks – What? Oh, sorry again, Rei-chan. Ami and I will always be obsessive, but we got a life outside of work again. Makoto was having an interesting time on her travels. How do I know? I just know these things, Rei-chan.

And as for Usagi and Mamoru – well, she went back to her usual self. Sometimes she would slip back into her depression, that kind of thing, I don't know if it ever really goes away. But we were there to support her, and Mamoru was, too. They've been through some serious ups and downs together, and they loved each other very much. Another year passed, and by that point they had been together for almost ten years. There were a couple of breaks during that time, but that's still a long time!

June 30 is Usagi's birthday. We had been helping Mamoru plot it for days, it was quite romantic. We spent the day celebrating together, like we usually do – lots of cake and ice cream, a visit to the park, an evening in a karaoke booth. We all got pretty drunk, even Rei and Ami, who are usually such spoilsports. But we didn't let Usagi touch a drop of alcohol the whole evening, wouldn't want her to make the decision under the influence. She got pretty mad because, well, it was her birthday and no alcohol! Anyway when it got to be about 10 o'clock we made our excuses and left, like we usually did, so that Mamoru and Usagi could spend the last couple of hours of her birthday alone.

They drove around the town for a little bit, looking at nostalgic places. Eventually they ended up at Tokyo Tower. They went up to the top, as Tuxedo Mask and Sailor Moon, and watched the city lights. And then, Tuxedo Mask got on one knee, pulled out a small box, and opened it up to reveal a beautiful diamond ring. That was how they got engaged. At the time she was living in a dingy apartment. We were all waiting for her at her place and when she got home she was ecstatic, a huge smile on her face. We admired her ring, congratulated her, and then we left her so she could relish her happiness in solitude for a while.

The wedding was set for August. Kind of quick, but they didn't want it to be a big, elaborate thing anyway. It was a nice and sunny day, and the wedding was held outdoors. Sailor Jupiter came back from her trip for a little while to attend, there was no way she was going to miss this kind of event. Afterwards we kind of held a Senshi-only ceremony, full of symbolism, this was an important moment for us, too, maybe Rei can explain it to you later, it's kind of a long story.

In November Usagi told us that she was pregnant. We all looked forward to the birth of that little brat, mostly because we wanted to see how she would interact with an older Usagi as her mom. Anyway, just as expected, ChibiUsa was born on July 30, just like big Usagi. What? Oh, yeah, that's kind of complicated too…Rei'll explain it to you later, I'm sure.

Things were going great between them until last May. Well, maybe not _great_. There was some drama about Mamoru's hours at work, and all that.

Oh, I'll tell you the rest later, maybe Ami will have good news about how Mamoru's faring.

* * *

A/N: Thanks for the reviews, **Flutterby Ashes** and **DmeridianJ**!


	6. Mind Games

**CHAPTER FIVE**

When Ami told her that she could not use her attacks because she was psychologically traumatized, Rei felt, above all else, disgusted. She was supposed to be a spiritual guide to others, supported by the whole structure of Shintoism. How could she help others when she herself was so deeply troubled? Her face burned with shame whenever she pictured her fiery arrow disappearing into the air. What if Tuxedo Kamen and Sailor Moon had not intervened at that exact moment? That man would have died, because she and Sailor Jupiter _choked_.

Then there was that word that Ami had uttered: psychiatrist.

Did she really need professional health? All the problems she had had, she had solved with the help of her friends, family, or just finding inner strength. No expert needed to devise a solution _for_ her.

She noticed Usagi, Minako, and Mamoru awkwardly glancing at her and Makoto, and then averting their eyes. Mental illness. There was something _wrong_ with her mind, something that prevented her from doing her job as Sailor Mars. She was no stranger to dealing with people who were depressed, bipolar, schizophrenic, addicts…she dealt with them all the time, when she worked at the Jinja. Her grandfather had taught her at an early age that these people were just that – people. So she did not blame Makoto for choking, but –

That _she_ would choke?

Her heart tightened when she looked up and caught Usagi's eyes. Was that – disappointment? No, Usagi would never be disappointed in her like that. That was probably pity – sympathy, rather, or something along those lines…

Her heart started to beat faster, the edges of her vision dimming. Oh no, not again, she thought.

"Excuse me," she said, breaking the silence. The legs of her chair scraped against the living room floor as she walked quickly to the bathroom, which she promptly tried to lock, but her hands fumbled and she couldn't quite manage it. Giving up, she slumped to the floor and tried to control her breathing. It wasn't working. She couldn't quite get enough air. Her eyes widened. She couldn't breathe.

"Rei-chan?" A soft voice came from outside the door. It slid open and Makoto walked in, careful to close the door behind her. She knelt down next to Rei and rubbed her back in a circular motion, hoping that it would help calm her somewhat.

"Rei-chan, it's okay. Come on, breathe through your nose…inhale…now exhale...good."

She carefully listened to Makoto's instructions, finally getting her breathing to a normal rate. The dizziness that had suddenly struck her now slowly slipped away, as did the darkness that had been encroaching on her sight. Feeling somewhat steadier, she took the hand that Makoto offered and hauled herself up to her feet.

"Thanks, Mako-chan."

"You're welcome, Rei-chan."

They walked back together towards the living room, and paused at the entryway.

"I think," Rei announced, taking a few steps forward to gather the belongings she had carelessly dropped onto the couch, "I'm going to go home for a little bit." She bid farewell to her friends and left Makoto's apartment. She reached the stairs and stopped, hearing footsteps behind her. She turned around, coming face to face with Ami.

"Rei-chan," she said, "If you get any more panic attacks, you need to call one of us."

"Okay," Rei answered slowly, "But, I wouldn't want to be a burden-"

"You're not, and never will be," Ami said, with a surprising amount of force. "But if you feel like you must do something in return, then help the others out, too. Watch over them, make sure they don't hurt themselves either."

Rei gave Ami a scrutinizing look. Ami shifted her weight from one foot to the other, uncomfortable with such close examination, the dark purple of Rei's eyes only adding intensity. Finally, Rei broke out into a smile and her eyes widened.

"Ami-chan, I never thought I'd say this, but you and Mina-chan really are birds of a feather. Haha! Who'd have thought it?" Her expression turned serious again. "Don't worry, Ami-chan. I'll do my best to watch over you, too."

* * *

Their next battle took place in June, and once again, Sailor Mars and Sailor Jupiter had to resort to physical attacks as the other three Senshi launched magical ones at the monster. How did they manage to still use their powers? Why didn't they freeze up? Was she the only one constantly assaulted by images of the warehouse collapsing whenever she mouthed the name of an attack?

She finally decided to ask them, and received no helpful answers.

"My failure to correctly estimate the strength of the warehouse's support beams was my own error," Ami said, in an utterly even tone that lent her a distanced, robotic air. "My attacks had nothing to do with my miscalculation."

Minako just shrugged. "I always think about what happened at the warehouse. I don't really know why my powers are still fine."

"I'm the one who screwed up," Usagi replied. "Not Sailor Moon."

Their answers weren't helpful for her own situation, but they all worried her tremendously, especially Usagi's strange answer. When she thought about it honestly, she had promised Ami to watch over all of them, but with that she could add that as yet another item on her "list of things I have failed at". Makoto seemed barely aware of her surroundings about half the time, and the rest of the time she spent training or sleeping. She barely responded to attempts to start conversation. Ami and Minako were looking increasingly gaunt, with dark circles constantly underscoring how their usually bright eyes had turned so lackluster. Usagi had withdrawn into herself, her usually booming voice quieting to a low volume, her childish excitement about everything dimming to mild enthusiasm about a very small number of things. Things such as sunset trips to the beach, where they would stare at the ocean waves crashing against the shore. Things such as nighttime sky observations.

Quiet outings, where laughter was minimal, reflection plentiful. Brooding.

In September they received more terrible news. Rei visited Makoto, Minako, and Ami, but though they could sympathize, they could do little to help her. Tired of seeing herself reflected in dull eyes, Rei turned to two other women she knew with an altogether different kind of brightness about them: Michiru and Haruka. The pair looked graceful and elegant at all times, even when they were dying, and especially when making morally difficult decisions. In some (many) ways, she idolized them. She wished she could have half their poise.

They were quick to usher her into the manor after she showed up on their doorstep, soaking wet from the pouring rain and looking rather sickly to boot. Rei knew she must have painted a pathetic picture, and did not miss the quick look of concern exchanged between the two older women. Haruka showed her to her living room, graciously ignoring all the water Rei's hair was dripping onto the floor, as Michiru left to find a towel. Moments later she returned with a towel in one hand, a tea tray balanced in the other.

"What brings you here, Rei-chan?" Haruka asked, leaning back on the coach and stretching an arm out.

She looked away, hesitant to answer. She was sure they already knew about all the problems she and the others had been having – perhaps they had already spoken to one of them, or maybe it just seemed obvious that killing a man would leave no one but psychopaths in undisturbed states. Did they look down on her now? Somehow, she doubted it. They seemed like the type to view the death of one man in their pursuit of justice as regretful, but inevitable.

She looked back at the pair sitting on the couch, watching as Michiru slid closer to Haruka and leaned against her. Haruka wrapped her arm around Michiru's shoulder, in a practiced move. Obviously they sat like this often, maybe while enjoying some tea, in conversation with each other, or in easy silence. She felt a pang of envy. Lately, the silence she shared with her closest friends had been far from easy, and their conversations were always strained. They had tried so hard to keep it together, and to support each other, but it was so hard when their problems went beyond loneliness and when their centre, Usagi, was falling apart before their eyes. It looked like her indomitable inner strength had finally failed her – and Rei could hardly blame her.

Today, Shingo had called her, and told her that Usagi refused to get out of bed at all. And Rei had quickly discovered the reason why.

"Today, they finally released the name of the victim," she said. "He was a salaryman. He had three children, aged 14, 8, and 3. His wife died a year ago of a heart attack."

She felt her eyes well up with tears, tears that tracked paths down her cheeks at an alarming rate. She took a deep breath, sniffled, but couldn't stop the tears, and ultimately, couldn't stop the sobs that tightened her throat.

"I need help," she said, burying her face in her hands, wiping furiously at her tears. She was humiliated at breaking down in front of her idols, and at the same time she was relieved at having finally asked for help from people who were unrelated to the incident but could understand.

Hopefully they could understand, she thought, as she raised her head again and took in the distraught looks of the pair opposite her. "I don't know what to do," she continued, breathing turning jagged. "I need to stay alive, but…I don't really want to live," she finally admitted, guilt stabbing at her.

"What do you mean, you don't want to live?" Haruka asked, getting to her feet and quickly making her away around the coffee table between them to grab Rei by the shoulders. "Think of all those times you've fought so hard to live! Think of all those lives you've been able to protect because you did so! Are you really going to let your guilt complex stop you from doing that?"

"I know that!" she hissed in reply. "I know I have to stay alive. I just feel so…worthless."

"If you can't pull yourself together enough to fight properly as Sailor Mars," Haruka said, "Then maybe you are worthless."

Rei's eyes widened.

"Haruka!" she heard Michiru say.

Rei's throat, already strained from all the crying, narrowed further until she could hardly take in any air. She gasped, trying to get some air in, but it was fruitless. Her vision dimmed again, and she could feel that familiar dizziness start to take over. She fumbled for her cellphone, desperate to call anyone for help, but she realized that she had left her purse at the entrance.

"Rei! Rei!" she heard Michiru shout. Then: "Haruka!"

Her vision turned entirely black.

"I didn't-"

She couldn't breathe.

"Call Ami-chan!"

She passed out.

* * *

The other girls and Mamoru were quick to arrive at the manor. Haruka let them in, somewhat hesitantly, and guided them towards one of the bigger guest rooms. They exchanged looks of trepidation as they heard screaming that only got louder as they approached the room. When they entered they watched Michiru and Hotaru hovering over Rei, who lay in the centre of a large bed and was covered with white sheets. She was sweating profusely, causing her hair to be matted to her head, and was clutching the sheets beneath her.

"Ah! Ahhh! No! Aghhhh!" she screamed, with a pained expression.

"Oh my god! Is she okay?" Usagi asked, rushing to her bedside. The others turned to look at Haruka, their faces accusation-free for now, though Haruka was sure that wouldn't last. She winced as Hotaru stormed past her, quite purposefully hitting her shoulder on the way out. Hotaru would probably give her the silent treatment for at least a month…

"Well, she's having nightmares," Haruka replied, looking away sheepishly when she realized that was obvious. "And we're pretty sure she has a fever." She scratched the back of her head. "She was probably in the rain for a long time before coming here."

"She also passed out from some kind of panic attack," Michiru said, before the others could raise any questions. "She came here with some kind of story about feeling worthless and not wanting to live-"

She paused, expecting some kind of reaction, but got none, and uneasily she realized that such a feeling was probably shared by the rest of these girls.

"-and Haruka chose the worst possible method to try to help someone who suffers from panic attacks."

This time, Haruka received apprehensive looks, and she felt somewhat nervous, an unusual feeling for her.

"What did you say to her?" Minako asked, keeping her tone light.

Haruka sighed. She would never shirk the consequences of her actions. So she told them the whole story, doing her best to not tone anything down. Guilty looks overcame all of them when they heard her repeat how Rei had described the salaryman. They looked stricken when they heard of her desperate plea for help and her confession of tortured depression. Their eyes widened as they heard Haruka's rousing monologue. Their eyes narrowed again into looks of murderous rage that set Haruka's heart beating faster as she repeated what she had told Rei and the resulting panic.

"-and that's when I called you," she finished, muscles tensed.

"What the hell!" Makoto shouted. Before Haruka could react she had stepped forward, drawn her fist back, and punched her in the face with a strength that she should not have had in her civilian form. Haruka stumbled backwards, her head smacking into the wall behind her. She momentarily felt like puking but had no time to do so as she found herself hauled off her feet, Makoto holding on to her shirt collar. "How dare you even suggest she could ever be worthless!" She delivered another blow to Haruka's face that resulted in blood streaming from her nose. "None of us are worthless, even outside of our Senshi roles!" She dropped Haruka, who barely caught her footing but managed to stay upright until Makoto kicked her side and sent her tumbling to the ground. "Not even you," she finished with a sigh.

"That," Haruka grit out, "Is how I thought _Rei_ would react!"

"She probably would have reacted like that," Minako said, choosing not to comment on what Makoto had just done, "If she'd been in a more normal state, like Makoto."

"You think I'm in a normal state?" Makoto asked, sounding baffled.

"Well...at least you're not having frequent breakdowns," Minako answered, sounding unsure.

They remained silent for a while. Rei had stopped screaming but was now constantly whimpering. Haruka had staunched the bleeding from her nose and got back to her feet with a groan.

"Ami-chan," Michiru finally said, "If you'd like, please stay over and make sure she's alright when she wakes up."

"Actually, if it's not too much of an imposition," Usagi said, her voice quiet, "Could I stay, too?"

"We might as well extend our hospitality to all of you," Haruka said, before Michiru could answer. "Pick any guest room you like."

They were all too concerned about Rei to even think about going home. Ami, Minako, and Michiru left the room, Ami and Minako to pick their rooms, Michiru to order in some food. Haruka and Makoto exchanged wary looks, but both eventually broke out into smiles. It was an unfamiliar feeling for Makoto, whose genuine smiles had been few and far between lately.

"I apologize for hurting your friend," Haruka said, bowing.

Makoto returned to bow. "I apologize for doubting your intentions."

The two then left the room, leaving Mamoru, Usagi, and Rei. Mamoru smiled slightly when he heard Usagi sniffle. That explained it – she was probably too busy crying to intervene when Makoto and Haruka had gotten into it. He watched as Usagi turned to face him, eyes sparkling with tears. He blinked, surprised at discerning within the usually listless Usagi an expression other than sadness or guilt. She was…angry! Not at him, surely?

She shook her head. "Not at you," she said, reading his mind. She smiled slightly, which almost sent him reeling in shock. "At this idiot," she said, tapping her friend on the head.

"Ah, I should've known," he replied, smiling back at her. "I'll go talk to Haruka and see if I can scrounge up a futon for you." Usagi nodded gratefully and he left the room, and as he walked down the hallway he realized that the futon would probably see no use anyway.

He looked up and down the wing and saw no sign of any of the others, so he headed to the next likely place – the kitchen. When he arrived, he saw that the dining table was already piled with foods of all types. Udon featured prominently. Makoto and Minako dug in with great gusto. He sat down at the table, amused by the sight of Haruka's black eye. She glared at him when she caught him smirking at her.

"Where is the little kitty?" she asked, taking a bite of her food.

"She'll probably eat a little at around midnight," he said. He sank in his chair at her skeptical look, somehow feeling guilty about Usagi's eating habits.

* * *

When Rei opened her eyes she found herself in a dark room. The only light she could see was that of the moon, streaming through the window curtains.

She felt something warm and soft pressed up against her back, arms around her torso. She smiled and rearranged herself so that she was facing the person lying next to her.

"Usagi," she whispered. Usagi's eyes were wide open.

"Rei."

Their faces were only a few inches away from each other.

"Guess what," Usagi whispered, after a moment of staring.

"What?" Rei asked, feeling like a school girl at a sleepover. What a nostalgic feeling.

"I'm angry at you."

"Why are you angry at me?"

"Because you said you feel worthless. And you're not."

Rei suddenly remembered why exactly she was in this strange bed. She shuddered as she remembered her despair earlier in the day and felt a flash of anger at Haruka. She'd have to have some words with her later. Usagi's arms drew tighter around her.

"I'm sorry," Rei whispered back.

"Actually," Usagi whispered, eyes widening. "I'm not angry at you. I'm angry at myself."

"Why are you angry at yourself?"

"Because if you feel worthless, it means I haven't made you feel worth…ful enough."

"Oh, Usagi. You always make me feel 'worthful'. If I'm feeling worthless, it's my own fault."

"Hmm. Then, who should I be angry at?"

"You had better be angry at me. I get upset when you're angry at yourself."

"But if I never get angry at myself, I'll never learn."

"You never learn anyway," Rei said airily, earning her a smack on the shoulder. "Ouch."

She took another moment to stare into Usagi's eyes. The woman looked strangely delicate and ethereal in the dimness of the night. Maybe that was part and parcel of being a moon princess…or maybe it was a sign of emaciation.

"Hey, I haven't eaten since breakfast," Rei said, careful to keep her voice low. "You should eat something, too."

They quietly made their way to the kitchen, where they found a multitude of plates wrapped in aluminum foil. Rei picked up the note that lay on top of one of the dishes. "For Rei and Usagi 3" read the note, in Minako's distinctive cutesy handwriting. "P.S. USAGI, EAT SOMETHING, OR ELSE!". Rei hurriedly crumpled up the note before Usagi could see it and stuffed it into her pocket. She blushed when she suddenly realized that she was clad in a flannel pajama set that Michiru must have changed her into.

"They look cute on you, though," Usagi said, taking a bite of chicken. "They're Haruka's. I hope you're not too mad at her. You should've seen what Makoto did."

"What did Makoto- oh, nevermind. Usagi," Rei said, "Please tell me you're going to eat something."

"I'm eating!" Usagi said defensively. Rei watched, unimpressed, as she broke off a small chunk from the drumstick and lifted it to her mouth. "Rei-chan," Usagi said, "You need to go away."

"What! Is this because I told you to eat?"

"No!" Usagi replied, sounding indignant. "I meant go on some kind of spiritual retreat, or something. Take time to figure out…how to be Sailor Mars again."

"'How to be Sailor Mars?'," Rei parroted, skeptical. She had known how to be Sailor Mars from the moment Luna had told her the transformation phrase. Hadn't she? The feeling of uncertainty stirring in her answered her own question well enough. "You're right," she said. "Well, maybe I'll take some time off from work," she continued. That was not a sentence she ever thought she would utter. "But I'm not going to go hole myself up in some mountain temple and leave the rest of you at a time like this."

"You've got to, though," Usagi replied, strangely insistent. "Trust me."

"If you insist…" Rei finally said, after a few minutes of silent deliberation.

"And you've got to leave…tomorrow morning."

"What!"

"I know exactly what will happen if you don't. You'll try to tie up all your work obligations in a week, realize you need more like a month, get buried in more work, and never leave." Rei sank in her seat, somewhat guiltily, as she realized that was exactly what would happen. She nodded slowly.

"Okay, I'll leave tomorrow, but _you_ explain to my workplace where Hino Rei has disappeared to."

Usagi beamed at her, nodding vigorously, and Rei was sure that this conversation would result in Usagi, Minako, and Makoto engaging in forgery and other crimes, and then they would have to get bailed out by Ami and Mamoru. Still she found herself not worrying too much about her friends' potential imprisonment as her vision filled with images of a serene, ancient, wooden temple surrounded by the brilliant colors of autumn leaves that matched the colors in the fire…

"Hey, Rei-chan," Usagi said, with a shy smile on her face. Rei turned her attention back to the present. "Since you're going to leave tomorrow, let me give you a goodbye present."

"If your goodbye present is anything other than a promise that you'll eat three meals a day, I don't want it," Rei replied, crossing her arms.

"Fine," Usagi said, frowning. "I promise I'll eat three meals a day."

"Thank you," Rei said, beaming. She watched as Usagi stood up from where she was sitting and walked towards her. "Do I get another goodbye present?"

She soon got her answer as Usagi bent down and softly pressed her lips against hers. Usagi drew back as Rei's mouth fell open in shock.

"Uh…"

"I'm sorry," Usagi said. "I know it's going to be hard…I just wanted to make sure that you know: I have always had faith in you, and always will."

With that stunning move Usagi swept away, leaving Rei sitting at the kitchen table.

At the time, Rei did not know that she would be constantly, desperately replaying that statement during her time in the mountains.

* * *

The announcement of her departure was met with kind, understanding words, fond farewells, and the usual calls of "bring me back a souvenir!". She somehow ended up promising to bring Minako back 100 love charms, and wondered how she could make that request at the temple without coming off as a particularly desperate maiden.

Their idle chatter was interrupted when Makoto cleared her throat to get their attention.

"Ahem, dear friends," she started, "– and Haruka-san," she added, with a sidelong glance, "I've got an announcement to make, too. I'll be going to London, England, also for an 'indeterminate amount of time'."

Rei privately thought that Makoto's equivalent to her meditating in the mountains would be simply training in the mountains, but perhaps she felt a need for a more drastic change. Her eyes scanned the room as the others began to offer the same words of support that she had been offered. There – as soon as her eyes caught Minako's, Minako looked away.

"Did you have anything to do with this?" she demanded.

"No," Minako lied.

* * *

Well, _now_ Rei knew that Minako had lied about it, though she hadn't then. She felt like a colossal idiot, not even wondering about where all the money to fund Makoto's constant travels had come from.

"Mamoru-san is going to be okay," Ami had said. "The doctors were surprised that he managed to survive at all, and as you can imagine, they were shocked to see how quickly he was healing. It will still take him a few months to be up to fighting speed again, though."

It had been a month since then. Rei visited him weekly and every week he looked healthier. Still, he would wince whenever he bent his knees, and was quick –too quick – to reassure Rei about them.

She was now standing in the press-box in the Senate building, half-listening to her father drone on about something to do with construction at a nearby river. He caught her eyes and flashed her a quick smile. She smiled back, but frowned as soon as he looked away. This was all for his benefit, nor hers. The camera has flashed at the exact moment they had made eye contact, another proud family moment for him to plaster in the newspapers.

And there was that Senator, Satou, who so hated her father, angrily waving his arms as he responded. Eventually attention shifted away from the two toward another issue. Senator Satou slipped his aide a note. Rei watched as the aide discreetly walked over to Senator Hino and handed him the note. Her father took the note, unfolded it, and scanned its contents.

At times Rei thought she had the worst luck ever, no ifs ands or buts about it. The aide reached into his jacket pocket, which would have been an entirely normal move had he not pulled out from it a gun. Everyone on the floor froze as the aide put the gun to Senator Hino's head. Rei ducked down, peering over the balcony railing. The aide cleared his throat, as if he didn't already have everyone's attention.

"Ladies and gentlemen," he said, "I am sorry to interrupt this session. However, after our last debacle, this might be the only way. You may have heard recently of a man who calls himself the High Priest and his Followers. I am one of those Followers. Senator," he continued, "Given your stalwart support for the Senshi over these past few years, I can only assume you have a way to contact them. If you want to live, please, do so. They have…hmm…let's say twenty minutes to get here."

Slowly, Senator Hino reached into his pocket, drawing out his phone. Rei cursed and leapt for her purse as her phone rang out.

"Yes?" she answered in a whisper.

"Rei," her father replied, in a careful tone, "I need you to contact your little friend and her comrades. Can you do this?"

"Yes, father," she said, cursing more as she hung up the phone and hit the emergency button on her communicator. Just in time, too, as the door to the balcony swung open and a man marched in, swinging a gun to her head. She froze and held her hands up. Her eyes widened as she recognized the man – it was the anchor of her favorite news show! Feeling somewhat betrayed, she got to her feet, hands still up in the air.

"Turn around," the man said, and Rei did so, so that she was once again facing the Senate floor. Moments later a few more men, these ones in ski masks, streamed in through the other doors. They, too, were holding handguns in their hands, some pointed at the men and women on the Senate floor, others covering the doors. They all waited in silence and Rei could feel a bead of sweat track its way down her neck as she watched the clock, hanging high on the wall facing her. Time ticked by inexorably and eventually only three minutes were left until the deadline. The aide holding her father hostage began tapping his foot, impatient.

Another minute passed when Sailor Pluto walked in. She stopped walking when a few of the masked men cautiously pointed their guns at her.

"My fellow Senshi will be here in a few more minutes," she said, and Rei felt immensely grateful to the woman who had just saved her father's life.

Ten more minutes passed before Sailors Moon, Venus, and Mercury arrived, walking in through the doors just as Sailor Pluto had.

"What now?" Sailor Venus asked, hands on her hips. Senator Satou's aide remained silent. Venus sighed. "Well, if you don't have any demands, what are we supposed to do?" she asked.

From behind her Rei heard footsteps and soon a man stood next to her. She stayed facing forward but her eyes slid to her left and she realized it was the High Priest standing next to her, still wearing the ski mask, but having exchanged the trench coat for _a tuxedo_. She clenched her fists but tried not to be too obvious in her rage.

"Hino Rei," he suddenly said. She blinked. Well, in some circles, she was pretty famous. "I did not know you would be here. I am sorry to hold the Senator hostage like this."

With that, he stepped onto the railing and fired a shot into the ceiling, effectively gaining everyone's attention.

"My dear Sailor Senshi," he began, "I am sorry for what happened last time, truly. But it had to happen. I hope Tuxedo Kamen is dead," he said blandly, "And if not, he will be the next time we see him." He leapt off the railing, landing neatly in a crouch on the floor. "Either way, he has gotten the punishment he deserves, Sailor Moon," he continued, walking towards her. When he was but a few feet away from her he knelt on one knee, reached into his jacket pocket, and pulled out a gun. Sailor Moon flinched, but he laid it beside him and once again reached into his jacket pocket, this time to pull out a small velvet box, which he opened to reveal an ostentatious diamond ring.

"What do you think, Sailor Moon? In me you will have a staunch supporter. I would never leave your side. I worship and admire all of your Senshi, but your heart's purity truly touches me. Sailor Moon, will you marry me?"

Ridiculous. Sailor Moon's face contorted into an expression of utter disbelief and before Venus could advise her to do otherwise, she spat out her answer:

"What? No way!" she said.

The High Priest looked only mildly displeased by her answer.

Senator Satou's aide was more than just mildly displeased.

"How dare you?" he said, gun swinging away from Senator Hino's head to point at Sailor Moon's.

"Stop!" she said, holding a hand up, her voice high and clear. "You don't have to be a part of this."

His hands were still firmly on the gun, fingers at the trigger, but he made no move to pull it.

"Killing me will only put you on the path to evil," Sailor Moon said, firmly, slowly taking a few steps towards the aide. "A path that this High Priest is trying to guide you toward. Holding children and politicians hostage, attacking one of our greatest allies, Tuxedo Mask – these are not the actions of a supporter of love, justice, or purity."

Even from her relatively far vantage point Rei could see the aide's shirt soaked through with sweat, his hair plastered to his head as his hands shook.

"Give me the gun," Sailor Moon said, stretching out her hand.

"Don't give her the gun!" the High Priest instructed. "Point it back at the Senator."

The aide's hands continued to shake, his eyes shifting from Sailor Moon, to the High Priest, to Senator Hino.

He pulled the trigger.

Senator Hino immediately tackled the man, but of course, he was far too late. Sailor Moon looked down at her chest as a spot of red bloomed on the white of her bodice, seeping onto the blue collar. Rei rushed to the edge of the balcony, hands gripping the rail, as she watched Sailor Moon fall to her knees.

"NOBODY MOVE!" the High Priest roared, the Followers immediately froze, but Venus, Pluto and Mercury were already dashing toward Sailor Moon when the High Priest pointed toward the balcony. "Or the Senator's daughter dies."

They froze in their tracks, and though Rei mentally urged them on, she knew that they would not take another step. Rei once again felt the cold metal barrel against her head.

The High Priest walked over to where the aide stood with his gun once again pointed at the Senator. The aide had managed to hold on to the gun even after being tackled, but his eyes were now wide with horror as he watched Sailor Moon's blood seep onto the floor. The High Priest held out his hand, as Sailor Moon had.

"Give me the gun," he said, with a sigh, as if he were talking to an obstinate child. The aide meekly handed over his gun. "You injured Sailor Moon. Why?"

"I didn't- my finger slipped- I-"

"I was hoping to uphold my own honor and gracefully accept her rejection. And yet, in a bid to protect my honor, you decided to injure one of the Senshi."

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!"

"Look at her now, with a bullet in her chest. Do you think this is acceptable?"

"No, sir, I-this is completely unacceptable."

"The wages of sin," the High Priest said, and in a single movement he had lifted the gun and pulled the trigger. The aide's face exploded into a mass of blood. Rei's mouth dropped open in shock. The High Priest had just killed one of his own Followers! What kind of leader was this?

"We're leaving!" the High Priest said. A moment later he disappeared into thin air. The Followers, too, tried to make their escape, though Rei would later learn from Minako that most of them were caught by the police that had surrounded the building.

As soon as the Follower holding her hostage had left, Rei rushed down the stairs and dashed toward the Senshi, who had gathered around Sailor Moon.

"Sailor Moon!" she said, kneeling down beside her. "Are you going to be alright?"

"One bullet is nothing compared to twenty or so," Sailor Moon answered, with a weak smile.

"And…that man?" Rei asked, feeling compelled to do so, though the answer seemed obvious.

"Dead," Sailor Mercury answered. "But we should really leave _now_," she continued, in a tone that allowed for no arguing.

As soon as they left Rei turned to face her father. He was staring right at her, wide-eyed. She shifted uncomfortably. What should she do? Apologize? Say nothing? He took the decision away from her when he approached and laid a hand on her shoulder.

"Rei, when I agreed to help you, my political power was not the only thing I was gambling with. I was well aware that I was also gambling my life. Sure enough, the death threats came pouring in when I publicly declared support for your Senshi friends.

"This," he continued, vaguely gesturing around him, "Was quite unexpected, but is just one of the risks I accepted upon making that deal with you. Don't you dare apologize. Now," he said, rolling up his sleeves and mussing his hair, "What do you think of this look for the cameras? Heroic?"

"Perfect," Rei said.

* * *

NEXT TIME on _Counterweights_: Rei spends time in the mountains. Minako investigates the warehouse collapse. The "Kill Hamilton" virus spreads.


	7. In the Dark

A/N: Sorry this is late, it was supposed to be up last week. I ended up splitting the chapter in two, chapter seven will be up later today or tomorrow.

**CHAPTER SIX**

After that, for a long time, it was quiet. Too quiet. The High Priest made no moves. Not enough time had passed yet for the Senshi to relax completely, but at least some of their tension dissipated. Usagi recovered quickly and was soon back at work. The whole showdown seemed to have boosted the Senshi's popularity even more than it had been of late. The latest chapter of _Super Sentai Universal Fighters_ was the most upbeat one Rei had read since the Incident.

But of course, the Senshi could not stay out of action for long, and were soon dragged into another mess as the magical virus that Michiru and Haruka had discovered hit the city once again. This time, however, the victims were not just feverishly repeating 'Kill Hamilton' while unconscious. They seemed to be fully conscious and were set on one specific goal.

"Where is he?" An office lady still dressed in heels and a pencil skirt hoisted a man up off his feet and slammed him against the nearest wall. "Where's Hamilton?"

"Lady, I don't know anyone named Hamilton," the man replied, too stunned to do anything else.

She let him drop and stormed down the sidewalk, occasionally repeating the same process with another random pedestrian until all began giving her a wide berth, except for one, who stood boldly in her path, hands on her hips. The woman did not seem overly concerned that she had just come face-to-face with Sailor Mercury. She reached towards her, but Sailor Mercury skipped nimbly back.

"Miss," she said, "You're sick. You're going to have to come with me."

"That's fine," the office lady said, suddenly calm. "I'll go with you, so long as you answer one question for me."

"What's the question?" Mercury asked, with the sinking feeling that she knew what it was.

"WHERE IS HAMILTON?" The woman screeched at her and dove towards her. Sailor Mercury once again dodged and with a resigned sigh she hoisted the woman over her shoulder, wincing whenever the woman struck a blow at her back.

"Can't we just knock them out?" Sailor Mars asked, irritated.

So far those infected with the virus had been more annoying than actually harmful. The police were having a difficult time rounding them up, usually having to resort to tasers after hours of tiresome, ineffective negotiations.

"It would probably be faster if we went out and caught them," Minako observed.

"I agree," Ami said, and suddenly they were on the streets of Tokyo, getting the infected to hospitals whenever they had time.

"It appears to have become airborne," Ami said, "And has either mutated or been modified by someone. Honestly, I hope for the former, because the latter would imply that there is someone out there skilled in the genetic manipulation of magical viruses."

"We've been dealing with a lot of the victims," Minako said. "But haven't gotten infected. Could it be that we're immune?"

"Well, it is a magical virus, after all."

As for who exactly Hamilton was, the Senshi pondered over the mystery, but could come to no real conclusions. Ami decided to experiment. Armed with pictures of people named Hamilton she would wave them in front of the infected people she confronted. There was usually no reaction, and when she asked, she would get a look of disdain – no, of _course_ that wasn't Hamilton.

"Maybe I can help you find him!" Mercury said, trying to sound as optimistic as possible. "What does he look like?"

"I'll know him when I see him!"

How would they be able to tell? Maybe some kind of magical essence or something, in which case she could only presume that Hamilton was also a magical being. At times, Ami found the whole magic thing quite frustrating. What kind of scientific principle did the Ginzuishou even follow? None, as far as she discern.

She was standing in front of her two samples of the virus, neatly laid out on a lab counter. She had been spending her precious free nights trying to determine how the virus worked, to no avail. Next to her stood Kanda Suzuki, Natsumi's father, who worked on infectious diseases. Having made no progress in her research, Ami had recruited him and decided to disclose the nature of the virus.

"Magic, huh?" Suzuki said, looking admirably unperturbed by the revelation. "I guess anything is possible. What kind of equipment is this?" He looked around her lab, set up with technology she had been given by Luna over the years.

"Hmm…special technology," Ami finally said, "That allows me to analyze this virus. But, I'm not getting very far."

"This seems like an interesting project, Mizuno-san. Please allow me to help you."

Ami smiled gratefully and nodded. She had no reason _not_ to trust Suzuki, after all, and in any case, she had dozens of security measures on her lab. If she were honest with herself, she was quick to trust Suzuki mostly because she was in desperate need of help, afraid of driving herself to those sleepless days once again, those days when she made sure she had no free time, so that she would not think about that terrible Incident.

* * *

For Ami those days had taken their toll on her, leading to a fragility from which she was still recovering. And she had not been the only one to suffer so.

Minako blearily opened her eyes and immediately shut them again as she was assaulted by the light of the morning sun. What time was it? She was usually up well before the sun was, but the approach of summer meant the days were dawning earlier and earlier, after all. Beside her she heard her phone ringing. More cautiously, this time, she slowly opened her eyes, a hand on her forehead to shield herself from the sun. She grabbed her cellphone, and winced when she saw the time.

"Hello," she answered.

"Minako-chan, where are you? Your interview on 'Good Morning Japan' is in an hour!"

Minako closed her eyes once again and stretched her arms out. She was so tired. She could feel it in her bones, in her muscles – she just did not have the will to move right at the moment. She went over her day's schedule in her head, every item only serving to dispirit her even more. The interview on GMJ, a photoshoot, meeting with her PV's director, an appointment at a nutritionist's, meeting with American distribution partners…

She brought the phone back to her ear.

"I'm sorry, Manager-san," she said, "I'm sick."

"_You're sick_?" he replied. "It must be really serious…go see a doctor! I'll re-schedule everything. I'll talk to you later."

He hung up. She tossed aside her phone and sat up in bed, rubbing her eyes.

"You might as well go back to sleep," Artemis said, sidling up to her. "Since you've got nothing to do today."

Yes, sleep sounded like a good idea…a great idea. Her head once again fell onto the pillow and she slipped into blissful rest.

And her eyes once again shot open, although this time, the sky outside her window was dark. Artemis woke up when she did, and looked at her with some concern as she got up and started dressing. She debated between going as Sailor Venus and going as a suspicious-looking average person and opted for the latter, pulling on black jeans and a dark blue hoodie.

"Going to rob a bank?" Artemis asked, hopping off the bed.

"No, I'm the one who _stops_ bank robberies, remember? I'm just going to go do some investigating."

"Minako…"

"I should've done this months ago," she said, stuffing her henshin pen into her pocket. "You can come with me, if you want," she added, opening the door. Sure enough, Artemis clambered onto her shoulders. She left her apartment and headed down to where she kept her bicycle stashed. It was a beat-up old thing, clumsily spray-painted black by a sixteen-year-old girl who had found the frame abandoned in a park. A set of wheels later and it was good to go, and Minako's trusty steed had never failed her. Artemis complained about it often, but he loved to sit in the basket that hung from the handlebars.

Off they went, down the dark Tokyo city streets. At 2 AM there was little traffic and so long as she avoided the streetlights Minako blended in with the darkness. Artemis, on the other hand, definitely did not blend in, so he got covered by a dark blanket. A few minutes later they had neared the eerily quiet docks. Minako's bike found a temporary parking spot behind a dumpster.

Minako and Artemis stalked down the alleys between the warehouses until they arrived at the site of the collapse, still blocked off by police tape. Undaunted by the words "DO NOT CROSS", Minako ducked under the tape. She pulled on a pair of gloves and made her way across the rubble, occasionally tripping on a loose stone or a semi-hidden pipe. She finally reached the middle and, standing on a large slab, looked around the area.

She had one pressing question on her mind.

Why had the building collapsed? Ami had always been exceedingly accurate and careful and had only grown more so during medical school. There was no way that her calculations could have been off. "I always assume," Ami said, "That the structural soundness of a building is 25% under that of official standards for the area." The warehouse, then, must have had a shockingly shoddy build. What kind of construction company would allow that? After some inquiries, Rei found out that it had been built by Genyou Construction, famous for avoiding responsibility for such collapses.

In this case, Genyou Construction had subcontracted the engineering design to a firm in the U.K., had gotten the building materials from a firm in China, and had gotten a firm in Japan to do the actual building. So what was it? Bad engineering? Substandard materials? Poor construction? A combination of all three?

Minako had finally finished collecting her samples – concrete, brick, metal, wood, plaster, everything she could think of. She would send it out to a lab and get all the materials analyzed. She grit her teeth when she thought of the type of "investigating" the police had done – they had found the man's body, determined the cause of death as blunt trauma from the warehouse collapsing on him, and from eyewitness reports, had pinned the blame for the collapse solely on the Senshi.

"Next up: investigating the construction firm?" Artemis asked, hopping into the basket as Minako pulled the bike upright. She dropped her samples in the basket beside him and covered it all with the blanket.

"That's right," she said.

* * *

The report Minako received from the lab was disappointing. All materials were to standard. There went one avenue of investigation.

"At least now you can focus on the other two," Artemis said.

After her "sick day", her workload seemed to have doubled somehow. Her makeup artists scolded her about the bags under her eyes. In truth, her workload wasn't more than she could handle – but her days always ended in nights filled with nightmares. She had tried everything to get a full night's sleep, but the only time she slept soundly was after a day spent fighting crime – or after a day of investigation.

And so Minako, desperate to get more than four hours of sleep for at least one night, decided to take another sick day and do some more investigating.

Genyou Construction had subcontracted the construction to Akiyama & Sons. "Akiyama is an unsavory sort," Rei said, "He hires illegal immigrants and then refuses to pay them after they've worked for him for months. It's always 'next week for sure!' with him. His sons aren't any better and they fall for a pretty face even faster."

"Why don't you turn them in?" Minako asked.

"They've been contracted by nearly every construction company in the country. If I turned them in I'd be assassinated in an hour."

Minako rolled her eyes.

This time Minako drafted Hotaru into her plan.

"Why?" Hotaru asked, though she went along anyway, sitting in the passenger seat of Minako's car as they drove toward the Akiyama & Sons offices.

"I need a pretty face," Minako said, pulling into the parking lot.

"_You're_ a pretty face," Hotaru pointed out, as they came to a stop.

"Yes, but it's called Akiyama and _Sons_, plural."

They were met at the front desk by an unimpressed secretary. To her credit, she only raised her eyebrows a little bit when she realized it was _the_ Aino Minako standing in front of her. As the secretary went to fetch the Sons with whom Minako had an appointment, Hotaru nervously asked her what she was supposed to do.

"Just follow my lead," Minako said, in what she was probably hoping was a reassuring tone but which left Hotaru less than confident.

The Akiyama sons were Naoto and Takumi. Both looked shockingly similar, with nearly identical haircuts, square glasses, and almost honest smiles. Takumi, the younger brother, seemed to have taken a shine to Hotaru, and she had to do little but smile shyly and Takumi would lavish his attentions on her.

Minako therefore turned hers to Naoto. She subtly led him away from Takumi and Hotaru, toward a small conference room with large windows that let the sun pour in. Minako put a hand to the window, and sighed.

"Sometimes, Naoto-san," she said, "I have a hard time trusting people. Not just in business, you know, but just in life…in general." With this she turned, eyes bright, wide smile on her face. "But you, Naoto-san, you really seem like someone I can trust."

"Aino-san," he said, "I am honored to have your trust."

"I'm glad. Then I can trust you with this secret: lately, I've been having some financial troubles," she lied, avoiding his gaze as though she were embarrassed. "You know how it goes…sometimes concert sales just aren't what I'd like them to be. I'd like for Akiyama & Sons to be the ones building my new house, but of course there's always a premium price for first-rate services."

"Exactly," he said, nodding encouragingly. "Of course, we're willing to negotiate on the price, but for residences we always aim for the best standards."

"For residences?" Minako asked, eyes wide. "You do other types of construction?"

"Of course! We have a broad range here. We've done quite a bit of commercial work for Genyou Construction."

"Genyou Construction? Somehow, the name sounds familiar…"

Naoto shifted uneasily. "Yes, you may have heard of them, they've built a number of the skyscrapers downtown…but oh, where has Takumi gone? We really should get back to them!" Minako walked quickly after him, hoping to get more information out of him, but they bumped into Takumi and Hotaru just a few seconds later.

"Takumi, where have you been? We have our twelve o'clock in five minutes."

"Ah! I'm sorry. It was very nice meeting you, Tomoe-san, Aino-san."

"Aino-san, I will be giving you a call so we can discuss further details on your house."

In the car Minako slammed her hands against the steering wheel, angry at herself for having gotten so little information out of Naoto. Who did they have working on the site, who were the supervisors? Maybe the blueprints could give her a few answers. The answer was clear: she'd have to break and enter.

She eyed Hotaru, wondering if the girl would want to participate in the crime. Unlikely, she thought, and then her eye caught a long tube clutched in Hotaru's hands.

"Takumi gave you something?" Minako asked, grinning as Hotaru turned blushed.

"Yes…he gave me copies of a bunch of their materials relating to the warehouse."

Minako slammed on the brakes.

* * *

That night after they had come to Rei's rescue at the manor, Minako was once again stricken by a case of insomnia. She lay awake, staring at the ceiling, thinking of what Makoto had said earlier that day. _You think I'm in a normal state?_ No, Minako did not think Makoto was in a normal state at all. When Minako had visited Makoto after the salaryman's identity had been released, she was shocked to see the broken dishes, shattered vases, discarded plants and overturned tables in Makoto's apartment. And then there was that thing with Haruka, earlier today…if she were honest with herself, had Makoto not gotten to Haruka first Minako might have done something, but certainly not with quite such brutality.

No, Makoto had not taken the news of creating three orphans well at all.

Minako racked her mind for some way to help her friend. She couldn't think of a single thing. She decided to go for a walk. Maybe some fresh air would stimulate her mind. She was fully intending to go outside to the gardens but stopped when she heard voices drifting in from the kitchen. Careful to be silent, she made her way toward the kitchen, recognizing the voices as Usagi and Rei's. She wondered what Usagi had thought about her note. She sneaked closer until she was right at the door frame. She peered around it and crossed her fingers, hoping not to get caught eavesdropping.

"No!" she heard Usagi say. "I meant go on some kind of spiritual retreat, or something. Take time to figure out…how to be Sailor Mars again."

There was an idea, Minako thought, as she listened to the rest of the conversation. Makoto could go on a spiritual retreat to, like training in the mountains. No, Makoto had probably done that numerous times already. Maybe a more drastic change of scenery would help.

She smiled when she heard Usagi agree to bail Rei out of work. They'd have to forge some medical documents, or something. Mamoru and Ami would _not_ be happy, she was sure of that, but it'd be fun anyway.

Suddenly Minako realized that she had another problem that Makoto could neatly answer. She had not had the time to go to the U.K. and investigate the engineering firm that had been contracted by Genyou Construction. It did not seem like she'd have the time to in the near future, either. Makoto, on the other hand, could take a leave of absence from her job, and might benefit from getting away, and having a mission to focus on. It was perfect.

Her thoughts were derailed when she saw Usagi lean down and plant a kiss on Rei. Her mouth fell open in shock, her face perfectly reflecting the expression on Rei's. WHAT was that all about? What kind of goodbye present was that? Usagi left through another door, thank goodness, as Minako did _not_ want to imagine how enraged Rei would be if she discovered that Minako had been eavesdropping on that particular conversation. She did not want to imagine it, but she did, and it was enough that she felt compelled to make herself scarce.

She decided to ignore what she had just seen for the moment and instead opted to go speak to Makoto, her earlier machinations returning to her thoughts. She knocked on the door and waited. Makoto appeared at the door, confused, but Minako left her no time to process why she was being awakened so late at night. She linked her arm with Makoto and dragged her outside of the house, shutting the door softly behind them. Moments later they were on a bench in the luxurious backyard, looking over a pond with a few goldfish in it.

"Makoto," Minako started, but was unsure where to go from there. Well, this was Makoto she was talking to. She decided on the straightforward and honest approach. "I hope that you can do me a favour. It will take a lot on your part, but in return, I hope to help you out as well."

Makoto looked at her curiously and with some degree of trepidation. This was Minako talking, after all.

"I want to you to go to England." And with that, Minako launched into a lengthy description of her investigations, hoping to pre-empt all the questions Makoto was sure to have. The materials from the Chinese company were fine. Akiyama & Sons had used some of their better supervisors on the warehouse construction. They were, however, to blame for accepting the blueprints given to them by SFR Engineering, based in London, England. The building had three weaknesses, seemingly engineered just to give the building weak points. "Building it correctly would have cost maybe an extra 10000 yen," Rei had said, disgusted.

"So you want me to investigate," Makoto said, drumming her fingers on the bench.

"I'll fund the trip, of course," Minako added hastily.

"I can't accept that," Makoto said, frowning. Minako sighed.

"Mako-chan, if you go on this trip, you really will be doing me a favor, so of course I'll be funding it. I don't have time for a lengthy investigative trip in a country thousands of kilometers away."

Makoto sighed, part of her wanting to continue the argument, but the other part realizing the futility. "You know," she said instead, "I quit my job at the florist's a month ago."

"You did? Why?" Minako asked, surprised.

"My boss said I lost my 'customer service attitude'. Everyone knew I was going to get fired soon. So I decided to quit first."

"Your boss is a jerk," Minako said.

"Thanks, but – my boss was right," Makoto replied.

The two sat in silence for a moment, staring at the sky. The stars were bright out this evening. Minako tried to find constellations, but had failed the astronomy portion of all the science classes she had ever been forced to take. She was fully aware of the irony.

"That," Makoto said, pointing at an area in the sky, "Is Sagittarius, the archer."

Minako looked to where she pointed but could see nothing resembling an archer.

"You know our own little archer is going on a trip soon," Minako said. "Off to a mysterious, hidden shrine."

"Really? When did she tell you?"

Minako laughed. "Ah, she didn't. Consider it a prediction. If she does go, will you go to London?"

"I think I'm being duped here," Makoto said, smiling. "But it's a deal."

* * *

Thanks to **AkatsukiSakura73** and **Lookin for the truth**. **DmeridianJ**, hopefully you'll enjoy the next chapter! **Pepeka W**, your answers will come soon!


	8. The Truth in the Self

**CHAPTER SIX has also been posted, a little earlier in the day.**

* * *

**CHAPTER SEVEN**

It took Rei three hours by bus to get to the small village associated with the shrine at which she would be staying. The arrangements had been made very quickly, aided tremendously by her grandfather's status as Head Priest of the HIkawa Jinja. At the thought of this Rei cringed guiltily, hating to do things using the influence of others. But she had been practically ordered to become a recluse for a little while, and so here she was, biking up a mountain road that would eventually lead to the jinja.

"The mountain road is closed to all vehicles except bicycles," the priest had said, and he had headed up on his bike, leading the path for her. He seemed to do it with ease, and here she was, struggling to get up the incline.

When they finally arrived at the shrine Rei could feel her thighs burning and her shirt was stuck to her back, wet with sweat.

"How do regular people get up here?" she asked, gasping to regain her breath.

"All must make the journey if they seek spiritual enlightenment," the priest said. He strode forward and Rei trailed behind him as he pointed out the various buildings of the shrine, the gates, and the statues, and described the traditions of the shrine. Here and there a miko would pass by and bow in greeting and Rei felt a twinge of envy when she saw the hakama and gi that they wore. There were moments when she desperately longed for simpler times. Watching the tree branches sway in the wind, hearing the clacking sound of wooden sandals against wooden floorboards, the sound of a nearby river washing over stones, and the smell of a burning fire filled her with nostalgia. She could have worked in such a place her whole life, if only, if only…

"And here is your room," the priest said, sliding open a door to reveal a small room containing a rolled-out futon with a small pillow, a low wooden table, and a cushion tucked in underneath the table. Perfect. "Feel free to decorate as you wish. Also, I have been told that you practice pyromancy. There is a priest here who does likewise. His name is Endo Takashi. You may be interested in speaking to him."

Rei was now alone in her room. She lay down the gym bag in which she had crammed a few things and began rummaging through it, pulling out a set of pajamas which she laid out on the bed. A notebook and a pen found their way to the desk as did the latest issue of _Shounen Jump_ which she had not quite finished reading during the bus ride. Finally she placed a picture of all her friends, taken right before the Incident, underneath her pillow.

She lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling, and let her thoughts drift, not thinking about very much at all, simply enjoying the fresh air away from the city.

A bell rang in the distance. It was dinner-time already. Rei made her way to the main courtyard and watched, interested, as a number of the mikos got onto bicycles and went careening down the mountain road at speeds that worried her.

"They volunteer here after school." Rei turned slightly to her left as a man walked up to her. He looked to be in his forties and had about thirty centimeters on her.

She did not need to wonder long about who this man was. She inhaled and knew immediately – the smell of ashes and cinder clung to him as it had once clung to her. She bowed. "Endo-san. I am honored to meet you. My name is Hino Rei." He raised his eyebrows in slight surprised and bowed in return.

"You have come here seeking something," he stated. "Atonement?"

For a moment Rei felt slightly offended at being asked a personal question right off the bat. But, she decided, it wouldn't hurt to offload her feelings to a priest. "Not exactly," she said. "There is something I used to be able to do, and I can no longer do that something."

"I see. And do you know why you can no longer do that something?"

"Whenever I try, I feel…uncertainty."

"Hino-san, I will be away from the shrine for a week. When I return, I would like to speak with you again."

"I would not be opposed."

* * *

On her sixth day at the shrine Rei returned to a river she had found earlier, making her way a bit further uphill, away from the Jinja. Uncertainty was definitely what she needed to get over, Rei thought, staring into the river as it flowed down the mountain. Self-confidence was not something she had ever lacked. Sometimes, it bordered on arrogance. But her self-confidence as Sailor Mars had been utterly shattered. How could she get it back? She thought back to when she had become Sailor Mars. She had been captured by a monster. A girl clad in a miniskirt and wielding a tiara, of all things, had saved her, and she was then told by a talking cat that she was Sailor Mars. This had all _surprised_ her, certainly, but she had always known that there was something odd about her, the psychic powers being an especially glaring tip-off.

In the moments between transforming into a Senshi and launching her first attack, she had not had the time to doubt herself. The Fire Soul had been successful, and from there on, what reason did she have to doubt that she could do it? A self-fulfilling prophecy. That was it. With a furtive glance around the area Rei transformed. She would complete a Fire Soul attack. It had never failed her.

"Fire…Soul!" she shouted, watching as the flame erupted from the tips of her index fingers and spiraled towards the river, landing with a hiss. She dropped her arms and grinned. It had worked! And if she could do one attack, surely she could do them all. After a moment's rest she spread her hands out.

"Burning Mandala!" The fire burst outwards…and fizzled in mid-air.

"Why?" she said, dropping to her knees and pounding the ground with a fist. "Why won't it work?" She dug her fingers into the rich soil and let it run through her fingers as she clenched her hands in frustration. It was the power difference, to be sure. She was scared of the amount of power she had in her hands. But she had never had a problem controlling it before. What stopped her now?

She hurriedly fell back into her civilian state as she heard the rustle of leaves a few meters away from her. A girl appeared, cutting through the trees. She looked surprised to see Rei. It was a miko, Endo Shizuka, Takashi's daughter. Rei had gotten vaguely friendly with her over shared dinners and the tutoring sessions she had been pressured into giving to the mikos at the shrine.

"Hino-san," Shizuka said, bowing, "I am sorry to disturb you, I was not aware that you were here."

"Don't worry," Rei answered, with a smile, "I'm just about done here now, anyway."

Shizuka smiled back, an endearing blush staining her cheeks. Rei should have been used to admirers by now, especially after the whole fanclub debacle back at Todai, but somehow it always surprised her. Rei raised an eyebrow expectantly. Shizuka ducked her head.

"Um, Hino-san, actually, I was looking for you…I have a confession. I mean I don't get to read a lot of manga, there's one bookstore here and all it has is classic novels and that kind of thing, and when I walked by your room – okay, actually, I walked into it, just to see – I saw the _Shounen Jump_ and flipped through it but I was holding a glass of water and it kind of slipped…"

"And the water splashed all over the _Shounen Jump_," Rei finished, laughing. "It's fine. Trust me. I have a friend who used to ruin all my manga. Not just the magazines, either, but the tankoubons and everything!"

"Really? I knew you were a person to be admired, Hino-san, and this just confirms it! I can't believe you never got mad at her. You must have great patience."

Rei coughed. "Ahem, yes…fortunately, it seems like she's lost the habit."

As they walked back to the shrine together, Shizuka made several attempts to speak, her mouth opening and closing, but no words ever came out. Rei continued to walk, patiently, silently.

"Um, Hino-san, I…I hear your father is Senator Hino."

"You heard right."

"He's been pretty vigorous with his defense of the Sailor Senshi, hasn't he? I mean, um…does that mean he knows them?"

"Not personally," she said. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh, um, I was kind of hoping to get an autograph, or something, because I really admire them, but…" Shizuka trailed off, as if suddenly realizing something. "Oh! But um, I don't know how you feel about them, so, I mean…"

"To be honest, I don't really know how I feel about them," Rei said, laughing lightly.

* * *

On the eighth day Endo returned from his trip. A few hours after his return he and Rei were sitting in the fire room, legs crossed, both facing the blazing fire.

"Your meditations before the fire have failed so far because you were afraid to delve too deeply without anyone else present," Endo said, and Rei winced as he hit the target. Up here, there was no cellphone reception. No friend that she could call when she…encountered breathing difficulties. "If my instincts are correct, you suffer from panic attacks." Rei nodded. "Then please, try meditating again, and this time, do not worry – I will be here by your side."

She nodded once more, then turned her attention to the fire in front of her, letting the flickering flames empty her mind of thought. In a soft voice she mouthed the words of a familiar mantra, the syllables rolling off her tongue easily, and in a few seconds – or maybe it was minutes, or hours – she was in that state where she was wholly engulfed by fire and nothingness.

And then the image of the salaryman flashed through her mind. But she was not overwhelmed, as she let Endo's calming voice seep into her consciousness, her body following his instructions. "Breathe in slowly…now breathe out." She escaped from the moment hyperventilation-free. Instead, past her panic, her feelings floated to the surface, and she let them go without worry. She had examined these feelings too many times already, her mind roiling with the guilt every night.

Instead, she brought herself back to that moment when her Burning Mandala had failed. It was a cycle of fear and anger that gripped her – anger that she couldn't find a solution, fear that she would never be able to. Anger at herself for being paralyzed by the fear of hurting someone again. The salaryman flashed through her mind again. She tried to let Endo's words once again guide her to a normal breathing pattern, but her lungs refused to listen. She gasped for air as Endo brought a paper bag to her mouth.

"This isn't going to work," Endo said, after Rei had calmed down once again. "You need to be able to stop your panic attacks by yourself or you'll always feel dependent. So let's do this: I need you to meditate on whatever it is that triggers these attacks. When you start feeling that panic, think of a time where you have been greatly successful through your own efforts."

"Alright," Rei said, resolutely focusing her attention back on the flame. As it flickered and danced across her vision she thought back to that sensation of hearing the warehouse pillar crack as her attack smashed into it and feeling that great rumble. She imagined what it would be like to be a man trapped in a collapsing building, unsure of what was happening, the last moments of his life spent thinking about the children he would leave behind…

There was that feeling of air failing to fill her lungs. She quickly changed mental tracks and thought of one of her greatest successes, killing the two DD girls. She remembered wrapping her hand around the vine and letting her fire loose, incinerating the enemy. Then she remembered her dying moments and that expression on Sailor Moon's face when she realized she would have to face Queen Beryl alone. Alone! She had left her alone. She should have fought harder. She started gasping for air again. She felt a sharp, painful jab to her ribs.

"Ouch! Hey! What was that for?" she demanded, angrily getting to her feet to tower over the still-sitting Endo.

"That was plan B," Endo said, shrugging. "Distracting you."

"Ugh." But Rei sat back down, and that night Rei had good dreams of all the impressive deeds she had performed as Sailor Mars and as Hino Rei, and the next morning she woke up with purple bruises on her ribs.

* * *

A few days later Rei had firmly decided on distracting herself as the answer to her panic attack problems, the self-affirmation tactic having failed. For the moment she kept a rubber band around her wrist, ready to be snapped whenever her thoughts headed to dangerous territories.

With that problem at least somewhat under control, Rei now turned her efforts to regaining her power.

Endo could hardly help her with this problem. With the small amounts of information he was provided with, there was only so far he could go.

"I will give you exclusive use of the sacred fire," he said, "Until you no longer need it."

And so Rei sat in front of the fire, day after day, fruitlessly searching for an answer, for help, for…anything.

Endo sighed. "You disappoint me. It's almost like you're a novice at this. You are losing your concentration."

The next time she sat in front of the fire she concentrated on her anger at that statement. She stirred the anger within her until it reached the fever pitch of rage. How dare he even suggest she was anything like a novice? She had been doing this for years. The sacred fire was an integral part of her life, fire an integral part of her being. His impudence, his contempt – and as she reached the boiling point she let her anger slip away, because she knew he was correct, of course, and then a calm descended on her, a calm that she used to direct her gaze toward the fire with no intent, no pleading helplessness.

And the fire answered.

"Why are you afraid that you can't control your power?"

The fire was talking to her. It was more than a little strange, but Rei had encountered stranger things, and so she went along with it. Its voice was an unfamiliar one, an old woman's voice, or a young woman's voice, or a girl's voice, or maybe all of them at once.

"Because I killed someone."

"Yet you have used your powers many times before without doing so."

"I know."

"Maybe you should have been more careful. But you weren't. It is a mistake, part of being a Senshi, and part of being human."

"I know." Rei felt the weight of depression settle on her chest.

"The pain will always be there," the voice informed her, "You will never be entirely rid of the guilt. But the impact will dull with time."

"I know."

For a while the voice remained silent. Rei watched the flame flicker for a moment, and then her eyes widened slightly when she understood. She stood up and left the room, left the shrine, and starting ambling along, no destination in mind.

She had either finally gone crazy or achieved some new level of spirituality, Rei thought. It was not the fire speaking to her. Rather, it was a Rei-composite speaking to her, a Rei made up of the past, future, and present Rei. Or maybe a complete Rei would be a better way to put it, a Rei that was her true, abiding self.

In essence, she was speaking to herself.

And if she was speaking to herself, she could do it away from the fire, away from those sleeping in the shrine, away from anything that reminded her of anything. Rei in nature, alone and speaking to herself. She decided to strip herself of clothes as well.

"For the complete symbolic experience," she said, indicating to the voice that she was ready to continue.

"Why do you feel unworthy?" The voice echoed in her head and surrounded her.

For a moment Rei remained silent. "You will have to be more specific with your question," she finally said.

"Why do you feel unworthy of your powers?"

"That should be obvious. I killed someone. I used them improperly, and now I am unable to use them at all. This only makes me even more unworthy, as now I cannot even fulfill my duty nor pursue my goals."

"What are your goals?"

"Love and justice," Rei said, feeling foolish at the vagueness, but convicted in the rightness of her goal.

"There are ways to pursue love and justice without being a Senshi."

But how could she squander her gift? She had been given power and could not – or would not – use it.

"What is your duty?"

"To protect Princess Serenity and our future."

"Do you think you are a good person?"

"No," Rei replied immediately.

"Do you think your duty and goals are good?"

"Yes?" Rei replied, a little more hesitantly.

"I see. You _are_ unworthy of your powers. You refuse to confront the ramifications of pursuing love and justice. With that man's death, the decision you make every time you act as a Senshi has become clear. You choose to risk others' lives if it means you can save more people and pave the path for a future idyllic millennium. Even if you minimize it, the risk is there. Accept this burden."

The weight of depression on her chest sank deeper and began to suffocate her, her throat constricting. She snapped the elastic on her wrist, but she could not distract herself from herself.

"I can't!" she screamed, hands covering her face, but she could not hide from herself either.

"Even if you deny it, it is the choice you are making."

"I can't," she repated, gasping for air.

"There is someone who thinks you can."

_I have always had faith in you, and always will_.

Could she do it? She couldn't. She could. She could do it. She could definitely do it! She would accept the burden. But, Rei thought, vision darkening as her air ran out, she needed time.

"I understand! I understand. Please," she gasped, "Give me time."

"Granted." And suddenly, Rei could breathe again. "And so, Rei, why do you find yourself worthless, as a person?"

And as soon as the depression had lifted, it returned.

"Because I killed someone."

"Does such a thing determine the worth of a person?"

"N-no…"

"Then what does?"

Rei had no answer to such a question. Was there such a single standard? She knew how she determined her own worth – the amount of effort she put into things, how well she lived up to her own standards and pursued her own goals and duties.

"You cannot deem yourself worthless because you have failed, just once, to meet your standards."

"That was neither the first time I failed nor the last time I will," Rei said.

"You will learn eventually."

Rei thought of her personality flaws. Her impatience, her stubbornness, being quick to anger, being distrusting, her abiding resentment toward her father, her pride, her arrogance…all these things she had had since childhood, and all these things remained. Would she ever learn?

"It is human to repeat mistakes. You will put your best efforts to it, and eventually, you will learn, at least a little bit. There is someone who thinks you can."

_I have always had faith in you, and always will_.

"Yes," Rei said, confidence rising, "I will learn!"

"It is unfortunate," the voice said, "That you do not think you are deserving of faith."

Rei froze. "What do you mean?"

"Why, Rei, do you find yourself unworthy of Usagi's faith?"

"I…"

"Maybe you won't ever learn, after all. Your guilt complex is repugnant."

"I don't have a guilt complex. Not about this, anyway. I do deserve her faith!"

"No, you don't."

"Yes, I do!" Rei clenched her fists, but of course, there was nobody to hit. She slammed her hands against a tree. "This is the one thing I am sure of! I will always do my best for her! Even if my best isn't good enough, even if she has to face things alone, I will always strive to protect her and will always believe in her!"

The voice had the audacity to laugh at her. Rei was galled.

"Shut up!"

"Of course you will always strive to protect her. You are incapable of doing otherwise. But as far as always believing in her-"

"You're suggesting that I won't?"

"I'm saying that you've already failed at that."

Rei was too stunned to reply. The voice kept speaking.

"Hino Rei, who went to Catholic school, has surely heard the story of Doubting Thomas. Jesus Christ the Messiah returned to life, something rather difficult to believe. But his disciples believed anyway, because they had faith. Doubting Thomas, however, had to see things for himself. He would not believe that it was his dead Lord until he went and touched the scars on his body.

"You've come back to life yourself, of course. Your skepticism, Doubting Rei, is somewhat different in nature. You cannot accept the burden, because you are not sure if it is _right_. Risking others' lives – you say you can accept it, in time. But can you really make that judgment?"

Rei thought back to when she had first heard the news of the man's death, seeing the newspaper headline, and thinking – "What have we done?"

And then at Makoto's apartment, when she laid eyes on Usagi, the embodiment of love, justice, and the future they fought to protect, she thought – "Are we really doing the right thing?"

And as soon as it flitted through her mind she dismissed the thought. It had just been for a moment. For a moment, she had wavered in her conviction, in her belief in Sailor Moon, in the way they fought for their values, and since then the guilt for that moment of doubt had hummed within her at all times.

"You're right," she said, aloud. "For a moment there, I was doubtful. I thought – Is this what my belief in her has wrought?

"I thought my faith in her wavered, which meant my faith in myself wavered. I thought I had failed her. I thought it made me unworthy of her faith. But I was wrong. My faith in her never wavered! At times, I will doubt our actions, I will doubt her actions. We're not perfect. I will always ask myself: is this right? Is this wrong?

"But I never have and never will doubt her heart.

"And I was wrong on a second point, too. As far as her faith in me goes, whether I fail her or not does not matter. She has always believed in me, and always will. The only thing I can do is do my best to live up to it."

* * *

"You are still confused and afraid," the voice said, sounding disappointed.

"That's alright," Rei replied, heading back down the mountain slope, toward the shrine.

"Because she believes in you?"

"Which means that I can believe in myself."

"So much of your self-worth depends on that girl. It's a little unhealthy."

This was true, Rei acknowledged, but that would have to be a struggle for another day.

"Why? Why do you base your self-worth on her faith in you?"

Another question with an obvious answer.

"Isn't it natural?" Though her heart had grown heavy after accepting the burden of her moral choices as a Senshi, something in it felt light – the lightness that came with confronting truths. On this cool summer evening, she had acknowledged many. What was one more? "When you're in love with someone, their opinion is important to you."

She felt the sailor fuku wrap around her, heels and gloves slipping on. She entered the living area of the shrine, stealthily made her way to Shizuka's room. As Sailor Mars she slipped the door open and took in the figure of the sleeping girl, curled into her blankets. She knelt down beside her and softly shook her awake.

"Wha-"

"Shh." Sailor Mars grabbed Shizuka's hand and dragged her out of the room, out of the shrine, and up the mountain, until they were at a cliff overlooking a valley filled with trees.

"I'm going to show you something great," Sailor Mars said.

Shizuka was still too stunned to say anything.

Mars stretched out her right hand, saw her symbol form on her palm. "Mars!"

She stretched her right arm out, her left arm drawing the bow back. "Flame…"

Her heart thrummed loudly as she felt the adrenaline flow through her. She smiled. "Sniper!"

And the arrow burst out from her and kept flying, its course a wide arc over the valley, until it disappeared far away in the distance.

* * *

A/N: Looking at the animation for Mars Flame Sniper, I think it's actually a dart that she launches? Whatever, I prefer an arrow. Thanks **solar-sun**!


	9. I Wish Nothing but the Best

AN1: Everyone, sorry for the long time between updates! To make up for it this chapter is really, super long. Parts of it were really hard to write. I owe a huge debt to **Gear001** for this chapter. Thank you.

I know it's been a while so if you need a refresher I stuck a summary right at the beginning. Also, **Tenkaichi**, you're right about the time-skipping and the confusion it causes. I actually do have a timeline all laid out but I want to make sure it works out! For now I'll use "now" and "then" as headings to add at least a bit of clarity.

* * *

SUMMARY

_The backstory_: The Senshi accidentally caused a warehouse collapse, killing a man they hadn't known was in it. Shunned by the public, Rei agrees to work for a corrupt company in order to get her father's support, since as a Senator his words carry weight. She and Makoto begin to have troubles with using their power. Rei retreats to the mountains and regains the ability to use her power, though she continues to struggle with guilt. Makoto goes to England on a trip funded by Minako. Minako funds the trip in part to help her friend, in part because she needs someone to investigate the London-based company EFR Engineering. In the course of her own investigations she discovered that they seem to have had purposely given the warehouse weak points. Usagi deals with her own depression, marries Mamoru, and has ChibiUsa.

_And now_: Rei is now dating Yuuichirou, Ami dating Urawa, Minako flitting from boy-toy to boy-toy. Usagi and Mamoru have split. Makoto is still overseas. Rei and Mamoru begin to have premonitions of upcoming chaos. Sure enough, they have to thwart an attack by a man who calls himself the "High Priest". In their second encounter, the Senshi save a bunch of kids from the High Priest and his Followers, and public support for the Senshi finally starts to be restored to some degree. The third encounter has the High Priest expressing some sympathy for the Senshi . He also targets Tuxedo Kamen, who is shot and suffers severe injuries. During the fourth encounter, the High Priest proposes to Sailor Moon. When she refuses, one of his Followers shoots her, and the High Priest shoots the Follower in turn.

In an unrelated incident, a magical virus begins to spread around the city, with those infected chanting, "Kill Hamilton!". It spreads further and strengthens besides, so that the infected not only chant, but also try to take action, trying to find and kill "Hamilton" themselves.

Did I miss anything?

* * *

**CHAPTER EIGHT**

PART I

_Now_

A few kilometers outside of Tokyo's city boundaries there was a cave. It was nestled deep in the woods, hidden by rocky outcrops and a dense network of trees and other flora.

For people like them, it was not an ideal meeting place. But it was difficult to find, and had ample space, and that was good enough.

Good enough. Another thing that was not ideal.

It had taken him a long time to learn that "perfect" was the enemy of "good", and at times he still struggled with it. But as he looked over the small crowd milling about inside of the cave, he thought – good enough. If there were more people, it would be better. If they were more skilled, it would be better. But they were good enough.

The weight of the gavel in his hand had also taken some time to get used to. But now he thought that there was nothing quite as satisfying as that moment of impact, when the mallet's head struck against the sound block.

As the sound rung out the conversations that were taking place quickly quieted down, until the only sound left was that of running water from the streams deeper in the cave.

"My Followers," he said. He gripped the sides of the podium as he heard his own voice echo back. He had never liked the sound of it. He'd tried to deepen it, to speak slower, more authoritatively, but he couldn't change that reedy, almost whiny, tone. "My Followers," he repeated, "I have called you here today to discuss an important matter. We must face the truth. Our plan has stalled."

The crowd began to murmur. Their voices were indistinct, but he could hear the disappointment and the disbelief. He eyed the gavel, but chose to wait instead, until the crowd once more fell into silence. He let the silence hang for a few seconds as he mulled over what to start with. The good news was…

"One part of our plan has been successful. Our attempts to show the public the Senshi's true nature has been largely successful. Every day the people's opinion, fickle like the wind, shifts towards favoring our goddesses."

Again the crowd murmured, and he let them continue as he thought how to phrase the next part. The bad news was…

"And yet, there is one aspect where we have not been successful. And that is in trying to eliminate the pain that we see so clearly in their eyes."

"It's because we haven't managed to kill Tuxedo Kamen!" A voice cried out from the back. The woman looked sure about her statement, but he was not so sure. He had thought that was it. He had thought that the key to returning the Senshi to happiness was in killing off Tuxedo Kamen. He saw it, there was something there, some strange atmosphere between the Senshi and Tuxedo Kamen. Sailor Moon especially seemed to have a weird connection with him, and he had just assumed –

But maybe he had assumed wrongly. When his Followers had first shot Tuxedo Kamen, at the site of the warehouse collapse, he had seen expressions of shock and panic flit across the faces of the Senshi. And he recalled Sailor Moon's speech, when he had held the Senator hostage –

_Holding children and politicians hostage, attacking one of our greatest allies, Tuxedo Kamen – these are not the actions of a supporter of love, justice, or purity._

No, Tuxedo Kamen was not the one causing the Senshi pain. Or at least, not the only one. And sudden realization struck the High Priest. He felt his heart beat faster as the pieces began to fall into place. The Senshi were defenders of love, justice, purity, hope. They were the defenders of everything that was good and noble in the world. But in a world like this, what exactly were they defending? Any love in the world was overwhelmed by the hatred, or even worse, by sheer indifference and casual cruelty.

Tears sprung to his eyes as he thought of the overwhelming odds against which the Senshi were fighting. They would never, ever win. Love might prevail at times, but there was no stopping hatred, indifference, and cruelty. It was in the makeup of mankind.

And his breath caught as he realized that there was only one solution to it all, only one way to make the Senshi's pain disappear. He hastily banged the gavel, stopping the conversations that had been occurring while he had been thinking.

"Followers. Frankly, it was foolish of us to think that killing one man could solve all their problems. No, their pain comes from something almost inescapable." He took a deep breath. He couldn't believe what he was about to propose. _But it was the only way_. "Their pain is from being alive! This world, that they so nobly fight to protect, is relentlessly dark. We, as society's elite, should know this best of all. And though we might wish to destroy the world, the Senshi would not wish it so.

"Therefore we are left with one option."

* * *

It took a long time to convince them.

They had spent all night in the cave, first arguing amongst themselves, until they finally agreed with the High Priest and began hashing out plans, which led to more arguments.

The next day the High Priest rubbed his eyes, struggling to stay awake at some kind of corporate executive meeting. He wasn't even sure what the meeting was about, really, though were these meetings ever about anything? He guiltily glanced at the notepad in front of him. The page it was open to was completely empty. He looked up, and his gaze caught the eyes of an executive sitting across from him. The man subtly nodded. The High Priest smiled slightly, grateful. He couldn't really go to sleep right at the table, but he allowed his mind to drift away.

After the meeting was adjourned, the High Priest and the executive hung back, stalling until the room had cleared out entirely. Finally alone, the High Priest took a seat next to the executive. He tossed his notepad onto the table.

"So, I missed all of that," the High Priest said, rather sheepishly. The executive sighed.

"It was about eliminating Akiyama & Sons. Their construction is an embarrassment and it's finally getting to be too much. Frankly, I'm sure it would be in your best interest not to report this to your boss."

The High Priest nodded. An unsurprisingly large part of his day job revolved around keeping his superior blameless.

"Speaking of eliminating," the executive said, nervously licking his lips, "Are we really going to go through with this?"

It was an unsubtle segue, but effective. The High Priest cringed slightly at the word 'eliminating', but the more he thought about it, the more convinced he was that it was the only option.

"We have to," he said forcefully, pulling his suitcase onto the table and opening it. He pulled out a trenchcoat and slipped it on after removing his suit jacket. The executive next to him pulled out two ski masks from his own suitcase, and handed one to the High Priest.

"Shall we?"

A few minutes later and they were in a busy shopping district. The High Priest spotted a few of his Followers here and there. Swift eye contact was the only acknowledgment they received. Finally, the clock struck five. End of the work day. The business crowd began to pour into the district, shopping or eating or just going about their day in general.

It was time.

The High Priest and the executive ducked into an alleyway, behind a dumpster. The alleyway was dirty and the High Priest was sure he'd have to dry clean his pants and the executive winced as his suit came into contact with some grimy piece of something but it was hidden away from the crowd which made the place –

Good enough.

They put their ski masks on. The executive pulled a revolver from his jacket. The High Priest pulled a much more intimidating rifle out. Then they stared at their watches until it was 5:09. They walked out of the alleyway and were back onto the main street at exactly 5:10, along with dozens of other people with ski masks and guns.

The crowd was slow to notice until the High Priest raised his gun into the air and fired two shots.

Then the screaming started.

This was his least favorite part. Crowd control was never his thing, which is why it was fortunate that at least a few of his Followers were higher-ups in service organizations. He watched idly as his Followers quickly quieted the crowd down, shepherding them into small groups. Some of the less co-operative ones they had to knock out. Why was it so hard to get people to co-operate? The equation seemed simple to the High Priest. If someone with a gun was threatening you, and you had nothing to defend yourself with, you listened to the person with the gun.

He observed the people resisting, mostly men with children, which was admirable, he supposed. Two young women who had been walking together were now fighting back ferociously and were being somewhat successful, that was strange. Martial artists? He could swear he had seen the blonde one before.

Finally, the crowd was subdued. The High Priest looked at his watch. Only five minutes had passed. The High Priest was mildly surprised that the Senshi were not here already. He tapped his foot impatiently. They were usually there before news helicopters got to the site, and he could already hear one in the distance. Those things were loud.

"Why are you doing this?" someone demanded. It was one of the young women who had fought back so ferociously. She was now on her knees, with her hands tied behind her back, one of the Followers holding a gun to her head.

"Because I'm evil," he replied. Disbelief read clearly on the woman's face and he almost laughed at the expression, but their conversation was interrupted as the Follower at his side nudged him. He turned in time to see Sailors Moon, Mars, Neptune and Uranus jump down from the tallest building around.

His heart clenched at the familiarity of the sight. They were so predictable, at times, with their predilection for high places, and their poses as they landed, and they all looked so stunningly beautiful and strong and he hardly felt worthy of even being on the same planet as them.

"Hostages, again?" Sailor Uranus asked, and the disdain in her voice could not be more obvious. "There are easier ways to get in touch with us, you know."

"It _is_ somewhat lacking in originality," Sailor Neptune noted, her voice light, as if she were hardly interested.

He had always liked these two. Even back in his fanclub days, before things got serious, he would defend them against those in the fanclub who hated them by virtue of their status as latecomers, or by virtue of their status as suspected lesbians.

So what if they were a little late to the party? They were still a part of it. And so what if they loved each other? Love was what the Senshi were all about, after all.

"Where," he asked, his voice carrying across the street, "Is the rest of your gang?"

"Around," Sailor Mars replied, with a biting tone and blazing eyes. The High Priest smiled. Her crossed arms and wide stance telegraphed aggressiveness. Unsubtle and fearless. Sailor Mars was exactly as he had imagined her all those years ago. Her vague, angry answer was just so _her_. He couldn't help but admire her. This was clearly someone who knew exactly who she was and what she wanted.

"What do you want now?"

The High Priest turned his attention to Sailor Moon, who sounded tired. He could not be more surprised. The determination and will that usually exuded from her seemed totally absent. She really was tired. Tired of him?

Or tired of the world?

He was right. He had to be.

She was just so radiant. Her golden hair, her eyes, blue like the ocean, the wings sprouting from her outfit – she was an angel. She was obviously not of this world. She lived on it, yes, defended it, but she was better than it. No one who loved as much as she clearly did could ever find happiness in this world.

"I suppose I'll have to get the other five later. I would like you four to line up against that wall there."

"Why?" Uranus asked.

"So I can kill you," he replied, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Unless you'd like to see these hostages die."'

Sailor Moon looked baffled.

"Why would you want to kill us?" she asked, her tone utterly sincere.

Sailors Neptune and Uranus glanced at Sailor Moon for just a moment before they exchanged a significant look. The High Priest pressed his lips into a thin line. He had the feeling that those two were not going to without a fight, even if it meant the death of a few hostages.

And then there was Sailor Mars, whose eyes were fixed on Sailor Moon's profile. She broke her gaze to make eye contact with the High Priest, and he felt his breath catch as he realized that _she understood_.

She knew exactly why he was doing it.

"Can't say I haven't considered it," she said, carefully enunciating every syllable. The other Senshi looked uneasy as she dredged up unwanted memories. "But that was in the past. Believe me when I say that we all very much want to live."

"You don't know what's best for you," he said, stamping down the feeling of uncertainty that was quickly rising up within him.

She rolled her eyes. "How condescending can you be?"

He raised his rifle and pointed it at Sailor Moon.

Uranus and Neptune tensed. But Mars visibly paled, and he laughed. Because he now knew that she understood far better than he had expected. He knew exactly what she was feeling. It was the feeling he had when he had watched one of his own Followers shoot Sailor Moon, when he had watched the blood pour down her torso, staining her white bodice, when he had watched her fall to the ground – his blood had run cold, he could hardly breathe, and he had gotten tunnel vision as his rage had focused onto the Follower who had shot her.

That feeling.

"Sailor Mars," he said, still laughing, "I should've known. I really, really should've figured."

She grit her teeth. "Just shut up," she ground out.

"Seriously," Sailor Uranus said. "Mars, why are you even still engaging with this idiot? This guy is _holding people hostage_."

Sailor Neptune nodded. "I agree. This is patently ridiculous. DEEP SUBMERGE!"

"WORLD SHAKING!"

And before he could say anything to his Followers, the High Priest was forced to take action and dive out of the way as the balls of energy smashed into the wall behind him. He burst into a cold sweat as he watched part of the wall crumble down, dust settling on him.

No time, there was no time.

"Shabon Spray!"

When had Sailor Mercury arrived?

A heavy mist quickly settled onto the scene. He could hear the confused cries of his Followers, the screams of the crowd, and footsteps –

Footsteps that were far too close. He leapt to his feet, in time to watch Sailor Mars emerge from the mist, looking like a demon out of hell. He grunted as she delivered a blow to his stomach, quickly followed by one to his head. He stumbled and fell onto the ground, and where had his gun gone? A quick glance confirmed that it was now in Sailor Mars' hands, a melted remnant of what it once was.

"You're crazy," she said, tossing the piece of metal away.

"You're too good for this world," he replied. She smirked but said nothing further, choosing instead to let flames engulf her hands. It was becoming very clear to him that his life would be ending soon. In this close a range he would have no chance to get a shot at her, if he even managed to get another gun in time. He had no out, he was too drained to teleport out, and he had not informed _him_ of his new plan, he would not be teleported to safety by a third party any time soon. With resignation he looked up, determined to get a final glimpse of at least one of his heroines.

Then he was saved. He heard a bang and a grunt and Sailor Mars was on one knee, trying to staunch the blood flowing from her thigh. The High Priest scrambled to his feet and ran. He heard Sailor Mars swear and then he ducked into an alleyway, feeling scorching heat singe his back, but he kept running and running.

He ditched his ski mask somewhere and his trench coat somewhere else and he kept running until he couldn't run any longer. He had just reached his car, in a parking garage far away from the business district, when he collapsed from pain.

* * *

At least it hadn't been an unmitigated disaster. The Followers, unsure whether they were actually supposed to kill any hostages, had not fired a shot, meaning the Senshi's reputations remained high. In that sense, they had actually succeeded. After all, their organization was first and foremost dedicated to bolstering the Senshi's public approval.

In fact, their public approval had shot up even higher when it was discovered that one of the hostages they had rescued was the international pop sensation Aino Minako. He knew he recognized that blonde from somewhere.

Still. He had failed at mission the organization had created for itself.

The Senshi had survived, with only minor injuries, by what he could see from the blurry news footage.

He had already ruled out direct attack, having seen the Senshi's capabilities that night at the warehouse. He now had to rule out holding hostages. And how else could he kill them? Finding out their identities had proved impossible. They seemed to work on some kind of buddy system, so isolating them would probably not work either.

The High Priest weighed his options, finding each one less likely to succeed than the last.

Resolving to think on it further, the High Priest unbuttoned his shirt and began applying salve to the burns on his back.

* * *

Ultimately, the perfect opportunity came not through planning and scheming but through simple chance.

The imaginatively named Tri-Business Park was a small business park near his workplace. It was bound by two skyscrapers and one awkwardly-shaped building that had forced the park to be in the shape of a triangle. The whole thing was mostly concrete, with a few trees here and there to justify being called a park.

Overall, it was a depressing little place, but late at night it made for a perfect meeting place. The High Priest had long ago placed a still image over all the cameras that monitored the park, and so far no security guards had caught on.

Which was why late one night the High Priest and two dozen of his Followers were gathered in one corner of the park.

It did not explain why a group of those people who were going around spouting that 'Kill Hamilton' thing had ended up in another corner of the park.

The reason for the Senshi's presence in the other corner of the park was even less clear. Perhaps they had been out on patrol. The High Priest noted with mild interest that Tuxedo Kamen was with them, looking fully recovered.

All three groups – the High Priest's, the Senshi, and the crazed people – arrived at Tri-Business Park at the same time.

For a moment, they all stood frozen, unsure of what to do.

The standoff was broken when one crazed person began running toward the High Priest's group. He stopped just short of the surprised and bewildered High Priest. The man leaned closer and gingerly placed a hand on the High Priest's chest.

"You're not Hamilton," the man said, "But you know where he is. Where is he?" He shoved the High Priest for emphasis, and the High Priest stumbled a few steps backward, reaching into his jacket pocket at the same time. From it he pulled out a pistol and pointed it wordlessly at the man.

So focused on the man was he that the High Priest did not notice the tiara silently spinning through the air until it hit his hands, knocking the gun high in the air.

The man seemed undeterred by his near-death experience. He took a few steps forward and menacingly bore down on the High Priest, having a few inches in height on him.

"Well? Where is he?"

"I am sure," the High Priest said, glancing significantly at the Senshi, "That no one wants anyone here to get injured. Let us talk this over like two rational men. I do not know who Hamilton is. You should seek elsewhere."

"You know damn well who he is!" The man growled and rushed at the High Priest, who easily knocked the man out by smashing his elbow into the man's head. As the man hit the ground, inspiration struck the High Priest. He pulled a gun from mid-air and aimed it at the man. His Followers had already pulled their own guns out, and had them aimed at the rest of the citizens. They had been slowly walking towards them, but now stopped, looking warily at the gun. The sight of the man being knocked out seemed to have enough of an effect on them to return some degree of caution to their addled mental states.

The plan was perfect and he had just come up with it. Feeling inordinately proud, he allowed himself a small smile before turning toward the Senshi.

"Ladies. Tuxedo Kamen. How nice to see you."

"What is it this time?" Sailor Venus demanded.

"It is getting to be rather late, isn't it? I suppose I should cut to the chase. If I or my Followers were to shoot on this man here or any of his…acquaintances, well, surely their disappearance would be written as an unfortunate effect of whatever illness they have.

"Those hostages I held earlier? I wouldn't have killed them. Frankly, it would have ruined your image. These hostages? A different story. No witnesses, a plausible alternative explanation. Clear enough?"

The Senshi exchanged quick glances, consternation visible as creases formed between their eyebrows.

"You always seem to have allies hidden somewhere," he said, abruptly changing topic. "It's a little irritating, but, well, there are ten of you, if you include your Tuxedo friend. Winning against you in a fight is nearly impossible.

"But I'd like to even the odds a little bit. I want the fight to be on our home turf. And I want insurance that you'll be there."

The Senshi stood in silence. He could hardly believe his own brilliance. In this one move, he'd be able to unbalance their emotional states, have them willingly enter into an ambush, and he'd have ample time to set the ambush up.

"Tuxedo Kamen. I want him."

"Rejected," Sailor Venus immediately said.

"I'm not going to kill him," the High Priest said. "But I need some kind of collateral. I _will_ kill him, if you don't come when I ask you to."

"Still rejected," Sailor Venus said again.

The High Priest cocked his gun, pulled slightly on the trigger, not far enough to actually shoot, but far enough for Tuxedo Kamen to step forward.

"If it's me in exchange for these people's lives, then so be it," he said.

To his own surprise, now that he didn't feel compelled to kill him, he actually found Tuxedo Kamen to be somewhat likeable. He was noble, just like the Senshi, and was presumably also a defender of love and justice. Yes, he had his good points.

He said as much to the Senshi. "Really. I won't kill him if I don't have to."

"No! Take me instead," Sailor Moon said, stepping forward.

He laughed at the wide-eyed looks on the other Senshi's faces. "I'm afraid that won't be possible. Your friends will allow Tuxedo Kamen to go, in exchange for these people. I can tell you right now, though, that they will _not_ allow you to fall into my hands."

"We'll save him," Sailor Mercury hastened to reassure her, but it seemed to be the wrong thing to say.

"I can't believe this. Not again. Why are you guys always like this?" she demanded, but the other Senshi maintained steady eye contact with her until she finally glanced away.

"In any case, I can't allow this. Tuxedo Kamen, I forbid you from going with that man," Sailor Venus said, her voice authoritative. But Tuxedo Kamen just smiled.

"I'm afraid I'm outside your authority."

"Then take me, instead." This time she addressed the High Priest. But he shook his head.

"Tuxedo Kamen is strong, but I think we can hold him. I _know_ we can't hold you. It's him, or these hostages are dead."

"Let's go," Tuxedo Kamen said, finally taking the decisive step. The High Priest grabbed his wrists, and a moment later, shackles of light bound his wrists together.

"Let's," the High Priest said. Guns still trained on the hostages, the High Priest and his Followers walked backward, out of the park, and disappeared into the night.

* * *

PART II

"Shit!" Rei smashed her fist against the steering wheel. "Dammit!"

Wrong time, wrong place.

It has been the five of them, patrolling. They had split into pairs, Tuxedo Kamen alone, and had met here to debrief.

The others weren't even in the country, called out by various obligations they absolutely had to attend to. Given recent events, they had cancelled most things that required them to leave the country, but some they had not been able to cancel. And so on this night, of all nights, at that exact moment, the Senshi had no back-up, no ally to call in to disrupt the hostage situation.

"Rei-chan?" Yuuichirou asked, hesitantly.

Rei had called him out of the blue, asking him to go on a drive with her. He had readily agreed, and they were now on hour four of the drive. Yuuichirou shifted in his seat. Rei's car was certainly nice, but roadsters were lacking in space. His legs were beginning to cramp.

"We got stuck between a rock and a hard place," she said, as if it explained anything. Yuuichirou just leaned back, somewhat used to this cryptic conversational style. She would do this whenever it involved business about her other life.

When she thought about it honestly, she realized how nice it was to have someone to unload to about all this Senshi stuff. Someone who wasn't actually involved in it. She wondered if Usagi ever spoke to Naru or Shingo about it, or Ami to Urawa. Maybe they weren't supposed to, but keeping things bottled up clearly did not work for her.

"She was so mad at us. But what were we supposed to do?" She gripped the steering wheel even harder as they hit a red light. She craned her head out the window, watched as dozens of tall-ish men with short black hair walked on the pavement. As if the High Priest would even let Mamoru walk about like this. She didn't even know what to look for. The light turned green. She hit the gas and kept driving.

"Rei-chan, tell me what happened, please," Yuuichirou asked.

She sighed before launching into a lengthy description of what had happened a few nights previously. Since then she had barely slept, choosing instead to go with Minako in desperate search missions. They always turned up empty. She could hardly focus on her work. She was so off her game that her assistant had asked if she needed him to book a doctor's appointment for her. She was, indeed, worried sick, but a doctor couldn't help with that.

She was really, really worried. Why was he always the one to get kidnapped? It was unnerving, how their enemies always seemed to have a special interest in him. Was he alright? Her mind wandered to what kind of state he could be in. Possibly stuck in some kind of cell. Maybe underfed. Maybe tortured –

She shook her head, clearing her mind of any such thoughts. Dwelling on hypotheticals wouldn't help them find him. But hypotheticals were all they had. The High Priest had dropped not a hint of where he could be holding Tuxedo Kamen. They had seen nothing of the High Priest or his Followers since that time.

"No offense, Rei-chan, but…I don't think we're going to find him by driving around the city."

"Yeah, I know," she said, resigned. She flicked the turn signal on and patiently waited for traffic to clear so she could make a U-Turn.

"I really am worried about him," she continued, "But we have a second problem. We really, really pissed her off. As pissed off as she can get, anyway. She won't say a word to any of us. "

"This is Usagi we're talking about. I'm sure she'll forgive you."

"I don't know. What she's really mad about is the whole 'we'll sacrifice ourselves for her' thing, and it's not really something any of us can change."

Yuuichirou clenched his jaw and looked out the window. "I don't really like the idea of you sacrificing yourself either, you know," he said, his voice gruff. Rei gave him an odd look, a mix of anger and sympathy.

"I've already died twice, Yuuichirou." At this, he whipped his head around to look at her, with a shocked expression. "Trust me, it's not fun. Both times were very painful and the idea of losing everything – all your regrets, and everything – just hits you at that very last moment. But it's something we had to do." She smiled slightly at the look on his face before telling him the story of their battles against Queen Beryl and Galaxia. Although it pained her to see Yuuichirou's reaction to the tale, she felt better just telling someone else about all that they had been through. In retrospect, she felt awful for her younger self. No one should have to die at fourteen, and again at sixteen.

Talking with Yuuichirou managed to keep her mind off Tuxedo Kamen's kidnapping. But he just had to bring it up again. They pulled into the parking garage of Yuuichirou's condo. He opened the passenger door and started to exit, but he stopped abruptly, still gripping the handle.

"Hey, there's something I don't get," he said, turning back to face her. She raised an eyebrow. "Why is Mamoru still so important to Usagi? I thought they were divorced."

"They are divorced. But they still love each other." His confusion was obvious, but Rei just shook her head. "It's not my story to tell, though."

* * *

_Then_

Aino Minako's launch parties were legendary, and her policy of releasing an album a year ensured that there were many such parties. The attendees were uniformly glamorous, either gorgeous in their own right or overwhelmingly successful. Usually they were a mixture of both. The party itself was always impeccable. The entertainers were chosen with care; only the very best could grace the stage. The catering was top-notch. Celebrity chefs always went all out at such a high-exposure event. All the annoying, panty-shot paparazzi were barred. The only photographers allowed in were fashion photographers and the ones who had built good relations with the rich and famous.

Chiba Usagi felt like she did not belong here at all.

As her gaze caught sight of yet another high-powered celebrity her mind wandered back to her childhood home. The Tsukinos were delighted to watch ChibiUsa for an evening. Usagi found herself missing the little girl. She even missed the incessant crying.

Someone nudged her and she jumped in surprise.

"Are you alright?" Ami had appeared beside her, and Usagi smiled. She knew Ami would commiserate with her. Ami was not the type who easily fit into this kind of crowd, either. But she, at least, had never dreamed of attending fabulous galas like this when she was younger. The teenaged Usagi had dreamed of almost nothing but attending such events, and now that she was living her dream, the reality disappointed her. She watched as a famous actor tripped over his own feet and fell into a chocolate fountain.

"I'm fine," she replied. Ami nodded. The two women stood in silence, observing the crowd. They caught sight of their friends. Haruka and Michiru were naturals, mingling with these people like it was something they did every day. Which, Usagi realized, it was. They had been doing this their whole lives. Usagi wondered if they had ever felt awkward, or if they really were naturally fabulous. Michiru looked gorgeous. Haruka looked dashing. Somewhat guiltily Usagi allowed her gaze to linger on Haruka's figure.

Ami laid a hand on her upper arm. Usagi shook her head to clear her vision and turned to look at where Ami was subtly pointing. There stood Rei and Hotaru, side-by-side, only highlighting their eerily similar looks. They looked like some kind of vision, all dark eyes and long, midnight-black hair contrasting with the pale skin that their dresses left on display. Hotaru was still young, but she would surely grow up into a real beauty. As for Rei –

Now she looked like a natural, just like Minako and Haruka and Michiru. But Usagi had seen her in attending those political events in her younger years, and she had certainly been awkward, back then. Closed off body language, anger fairly exuding from her. Now she glided gracefully, laughed at stupid jokes, and had these double-conversations where talk about the weather was actually talk about business. She knew all the right people, all the right things to say and do.

She was laughing now, but Usagi could tell it was fake. Sudden, irrational anger gripped her. Posturing was Rei's least favorite thing, but now that she was some kind of big-shot, it seemed like that was all she did. Usagi glanced down at the wine goblet she was holding, then held a palm up to her cheek and felt heat. Great. She had definitely had too much to drink, and if she kept going she'd just embarrass herself. She handed the cup to Ami, who silently accepted it.

"Thanks," Usagi said. "I think I'm going to get some air." She was about to leave, but before she turned she caught a glimpse of Rei laying a hand on some random man's upper arm. Rei leaned in closer and _giggled_.

It was getting to be too much. Usagi strode toward the group, ignoring Ami's quiet calls after her. She arrived, grabbed Rei's arms, and abruptly dragged her away from the circle. Rei stammered out some hasty excuses to the group but allowed herself to be dragged out onto the balcony.

"What was that all about?" she hissed. "I let you drag me out here because it's _you_, but I'm sure it made me look bad."

"That's exactly what that was all about," Usagi replied. "Why are you so worried about whether or not something makes you look bad? You would've never worried about it before you got that job."

"I'm sorry to tell you this, Usagi, but appearances are important."

"You were laughing at his stupid jokes that I'm sure were racist or sexist somehow. You were flirting with him! With an idiot like that."

"You're totally right. What do you want, a prize? It's not like I enjoyed it. But he's my key to moving up another step."

"And that. You're so concerned, now, about being at the very top."

Rei frowned. "I've always wanted to be the best at everything I do. You know that."

"But this isn't something you really want to do. A corrupt construction conglomerate! Why are you really doing this?"

The two stared at each other for a long moment, neither willing to back down.

"I promise I won't judge you," Usagi whispered. Rei finally glanced away. She leaned her back against the balcony railing and turned her neck so she could stare out at the sea, fixing her gaze away from Usagi. Usagi let her eyes trail over the long column of Rei's neck, utterly exposed.

Finally Rei shifted her glance back, took in Usagi's red cheeks and glazed eyes, and smiled. "You're drunk," she said.

Usagi in turn looked Rei over, her cheeks red, though her eyes were still focused. "You are, too."

"But I'm a good drunk," Rei said haughtily, "Your drunk has never been pretty."

"Really?" Usagi took a few steps until she was less than a foot away from Rei. Rei turned even redder and the contrast against her skin made her look only more beautiful. "You don't think I'm pretty when I'm drunk?"

Rei's took in Usagi's features. Flushed face, flirty smile, dilated eyes. "I think you're very pretty," she said, then took a shuddering breath as Usagi took another step closer, so close that their breaths were mingling, so close that their bodies barely brushed against each other, sending electric tingles through them both.

"Oh God…don't do this," Rei said, voice colored with panic.

"Why not?" Usagi asked, very obviously staring at Rei's lips.

"Because we're drunk." Rei's eyes flicked over Usagi's shoulder. "And because your husband is standing right behind you."

* * *

Mamoru and Usagi entered their car in silence, and it wasn't until they had been driving for a while that Mamoru spoke.

"I'm not mad," he said. Usagi just continued to sit in silence, willing herself to sober up before she said or did anything stupid again. "It must be hard for you. We were so young when we got together and there are so many people who love you and I know you love them all back. It's one of my favorite things about you."

He shifted gears and Usagi grimaced at the lurch. She didn't know why he insisted on driving a manual.

"And you're bisexual but you never got to sleep with a girl," he continued.

"What?" she shrieked, lightly punching his shoulder. "I'm straight!"

Mamoru smiled. "So straight that you've been staring at Haruka all night. So straight that you almost made out with your best friend. Good thing it's self-tortured, straight-laced Rei. Anyone else would've jumped at the chance."

Usagi sat back in her seat, arms crossed. She stared out the window.

"Seriously, Usako. Have you ever considered that maybe we should…see other people?"

"No," she quickly replied. Mamoru shook his head. She sank further into her seat.

* * *

It wasn't like she had never considered it.

She had, in fact, had an interesting conversation with Haruka and Michiru that had raised the idea rather explicitly in her mind.

It had been a normal visit, at first. They ate biscuits and drank tea and discussed their lives while listening to recordings of the _Four Seasons_. Usagi loved to visit them. It was a nice change of pace from dealing with ChibiUsa. This was the type of thing she had really been dreaming of when she was a girl. An elegant atmosphere, without neither pressure nor posturing. She could be her goofy self and she'd receive only indulgent smile from her two friends.

Haruka had been telling her about a race series she was going to take part in. It was an expo in France, and her sponsors were pushing hard for her to get first place. As if they needed to motivate her. At the same time, Michiru would be holding a concert in Brazil. She was the featured soloist, of course. Her concert run was a month long. The expo series was also a month long.

Usagi thought about how she would feel if she were separated from Mamoru for that long, like that time he went overseas and then Galaxia had –

"Don't you get lonely?" she asked them. They exchanged glances, an odd look on their faces.

"Yes," Haruka said, stretching the syllable out. "But we find ways to ease the loneliness until we can see each other again."

"Ways to ease the loneliness?" Usagi turned the phrase over in her mind, considered possibilities. She remembered the collection Minako had shown them. "Vibrators?"

Michiru choked on her tea. Haruka rubbed her back.

"Not quite. You see, the thing is…we're quite secure in our relationship."

With a relationship like theirs, who wouldn't be? Their undying devotion to each other was obvious in every glance, every touch, and the only time Usagi ever liked to see fighting was when she watched them fight in concert against an enemy. Their co-ordination together made it almost seem like a dance. Together they were truly greater than the sum of their parts.

Haruka-and-Michiru. Michiru-and-Haruka.

Hmm.

Mamoru-and-Usagi. Usako-and-Mamo-chan.

"What Haruka is trying to say is that we love each other so much that we are able to let each other sleep with other people."

Usagi sat up straight, startled. "But-"

"Frankly," Haruka interrupted, "When you get used to a warm body in bed, the nights do get lonely."

Haruka lay her hand on the table, palm facing upwards. Michiru lay her hand over hers, and twined their fingers together.

"Then…could you ever…sleep with me?" Usagi hazarded. It was interesting to think about. She was mildly surprised when they both shook their heads.

"It's not like either of us are in love with you," Michiru said, "But we've agreed. You mean too much to us that the sex could never be emotion-free."

Usagi blushed horribly as she suddenly realized that this conversation had taken a turn to the embarrassing.

* * *

"Fine," Usagi said. "Yes. I have considered it. But I love _you_, Mamo-chan. You're everything to me. I mean, we're _married_. We have a kid!"

"Are you _sure_ that I'm 'everything' to you? How can one person be everything to another?"

Usagi narrowed her eyes. "You're doing that thing again. That thing where you think you know what's best for me."

"I just want you to be happy," he said. "I'm not going to decide for you. Just think about it, okay? Please."

* * *

So she thought about it. He had been so sincere in his request, after all, and Usagi loved him enough to take even his wildest ideas seriously into consideration. This certainly counted as a wild idea. Being in an open relationship like Haruka and Michiru? Though theirs was one where they loved each other and just happened to have meaningless sex on the side. Or maybe it was unfair of her to call it meaningless. Maybe it was more like…comforting sex.

Or something.

But she couldn't do that. She couldn't be physical with someone she didn't love. And besides that, she and Mamoru were married, and had a daughter, and just belonged together. So that was it. She had considered the idea, and decided to reject it. Yes, they had gotten together young, and had never had a chance to be with anyone else. But some people just found their soulmates at a young age, and knew immediately that the other person was 'the One'.

Right?

The doorbell rang. She cast a quick glance toward the crib to make sure ChibiUsa was still sleeping soundly before heading to the door to answer. She peered through the peephole. Of course. Given her luck, who else could it be? She flung the door open and there stood Hino Rei, grinning, hands behind her back, obviously hiding something.

Their first conversation after the launch party had Rei hastily claiming that she had blacked out at the afterparty and forgotten everything. She was lying, of course, but Usagi accepted the lie, for now. Sooner or later, they'd have to actually confront all the weirdness between them. When she thought about it, the weirdness stretched back before the launch party, before even that time when she had forced Rei to go on the trip to the shrine, it stretched way back into their adolescence, it had just kind of always been there, since they had met.

And now they were adults, and their friendship ran so deep that Rei would obviously forgive Usagi anything and vice-versa. Even if Rei killed Luna, or something. (No, maybe not that.) In any case, now they were adults, and friends, and they should be able to talk about it honestly.

Soon. Maybe.

Usagi refocused on the moment and raked her mind as to why Rei would be standing there at her doorstep. Not that Rei never dropped by for impromptu visits, but that grin boded of something else…

Usagi's eyes drifted toward the wall calendar hanging nearby. Shoot. She had been so caught up in thinking about Mamoru's suggestion that she had completely forgotten. And this year she had been so determined to get all their presents in advance. She had already failed to do so with Michiru, Haruka, and Hotaru's birthdays, and now she had done it with Rei's.

Rei laughed at the expression on her face. "Don't worry. I know all about your last-minute shopping ways. That's why I came here so early."

It was indeed early, nine o'clock in the morning. Usagi's eyes narrowed. "Don't you have work?"

Rei smiled. "Usagi, _I am the boss_. I am giving myself the day off! Anyway, I don't want you to buy me a present. Frankly, I'm already rich enough. I can buy whatever I want." She grinned. Usagi rolled her eyes. Rei turned around, leaning over the balcony railing. "Come on up!" she yelled. Moments later Shingo was pushing his way into the apartment after a cursory greeting to Usagi. "Shingo's going to watch ChibiUsa. For my birthday, I want you to hang out with me all day!"

Usagi couldn't help but reflect the smile on Rei's face. She hastened inside the apartment, grabbed a light coat, and followed Rei down the steps. She was expecting to see the black sedan that Rei usually got chauffeured around in, but instead Rei unlocked the passenger door to a shiny, red, two-seater convertible. Usagi's jaw dropped.

"Rei-chan! That is one nice car!"

"I know!" Rei said, ushering her into the vehicle. She quickly circled around the car and hopped into the driver's seat. "But two gorgeous ladies can't ride around in a sedan with darkened windows. We have to give everyone else a chance to lay eyes on our beautiful selves."

They sped down the street, hair whipping in the wind. Usagi smiled. It was a little chilly, but it was so worth it to be in this beautiful car on this beautiful day with her beautiful friend. It was perfect. They stopped at the arcade, the ice cream parlour, the mall. They watched a terrible movie and loudly made fun of it until they got kicked out. They drove to the beach and dipped their feet into the freezing cold water. The sun set and they grabbed dinner at a place that was way too fancy for what they were wearing, but Rei clearly didn't care and so Usagi didn't either. Then Rei drove Usagi back to the Chiba's apartment so she could get ready for Rei's actual birthday party.

Before she could step out of the car Rei stopped her. She pulled the keys out from the ignition and dangled them in front of Usagi.

"Usagi, I know you hate that stick shift car of Mamoru's, even though it's super-rugged and large enough for a family and whatever," she said, the words quickly tumbling out, "So, even though it was fun spending the day with you, your real birthday present to me would be you accepting this gift from me." She thrust the keys into Usagi's hands.

Usagi looked at her, bewildered.

"I'll keep paying the insurance, and parking, and everything," Rei hastened to assure her. Usagi smiled.

"Rei, I can't accept this! This car must've been super-expensive. And I've got to say, it's pretty obvious that you loved driving it way better than you like being chauffeured around in that sedan."

Rei looked disappointed as Usagi shoved the keys back into her hands. "But it's my birthday! Come on."

"If I drove this car I would crash it in a second. Just promise me, that every few months, we'll spend a day just driving around and having fun, exactly like we did today. Okay?"

"Okay," Rei said, and after a quick hug goodbye Usagi was out the car and back into her apartment where she was met with the sight of Mamoru in a suit.

"Apparently, Shingo is providing extended baby-sitting services, so I can go Rei's party, too. He won't tell me how much she paid him."

Usagi hastily changed and the pair headed to the banquet hall where Rei was holding her birthday party. It would be yet another extravagant affair, and Rei would no doubt be monopolized by important people with important matters to discuss and would have little time to speak with her actual friends, even though she had seated them all at the same table as hers. What a terrible birthday, Usagi realized. No wonder she had taken the day off to joyride.

She stopped at the entrance to the hall, suddenly remembering that she was arriving empty-handed to a birthday party.

"Check your coat pocket," Mamoru said. Eyes wide, Usagi reached into the pocket of her rarely-worn dressy coat and pulled out a box wrapped in red paper and topped with a purple bow. She didn't even have to ask how Mamoru knew she had forgotten.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Necklace," he replied.

"I love you," she said, and Mamoru smiled as they walked into the hall.

The festivities were already in full swing, and as expected, Rei was surrounded by people and was doing the whole posturing thing again. Usagi and Mamoru took their seats at the table, where Ami and Minako were sitting. They were deep in discussion but they stopped their conversation abruptly.

"Presents get piled over there," Minako said, waving toward a table that was stacked high with colorful boxes. Mamoru nodded in acknowledgement and stood up, a large box clutched under his arm. He held his hand out to take Usagi's present, but Usagi shook his head.

"I think I'll give it to her later," she said. Mamoru shrugged and walked away. Ami and Minako exchanged a significant glance that did not go unnoticed by Usagi.

"What?" she demanded.

"Nothing," Minako said, her tone light. "Check Rei out. Looks like her new assistant is really devoted."

She turned to look and there was Rei, opening presents and handing the cards off to her assistant, who would no doubt be writing all the thank you notes. He took each card, staring at her intently the whole time. She either didn't notice his staring or had decided to ignore it, because he was looking at her like a so intensely that it made Usagi's blood boil.

She did not like that look. Usagi grimaced. When had she gotten so possessive?

She had one cup of champagne and declined further refills. This was not about to be a repeat of Minako's launch party. She could feel it in her heart, she was going to take some kind of action. But what, exactly, was she going to do? She had no idea and could do nothing but bide her time. The party was beginning to wind down. People were clearing out until just a few dozen people were left. She saw Rei excuse herself and walk down the hallway that led to the washrooms. Usagi excused herself from the random man she had been dancing with and quickly followed her.

Rei slipped into a single-occupancy washroom. Perfect. Usagi slipped in behind her and locked the door. Rei jumped in surprise and turned to face her.

"What-" The question died on her lips as Usagi thrust an oblong box toward her. She smiled gently, took the box, and slowly unwrapped it. Finally she opened it to reveal a gold necklace with a heart dangling from the chain.

"It's beautiful," she said, staring at the necklace in wonder. When had Usagi managed to get this? Ah. She'd have to thank Mamoru, too, later on. "Thank you." She looked back up, clearly amused. "You didn't have to lock me in a washroom to give me my birthday present, you know."

"I know," Usagi said, smiling mischievously. Rei's eyes widened. This seemed a little too much like-

She didn't have time to complete the thought. Usagi grabbed her wrists, raising them up and slamming her against the nearest wall. She heard the box drop to the floor but couldn't think of much else as Usagi's lips were on hers, incredibly soft, and seconds later she felt a tongue flick against her lower lip, and she responded automatically, her own tongue flicking out to brush against Usagi's lips.

It was Usagi's responding gasp that brought her crashing back to reality. She turned her head away, which did nothing to deter the other girl as she let her lips slide down Rei's neck, softly brushing against the pounding pulse point she found there.

Rei frowned. She didn't have enough willpower to push Usagi away, but it was all happening too fast, and she had no idea what was going on, and she really did not like being confused, which was exactly how felt at the moment.

Usagi abruptly stopped. "Rei. Why are you crying?"

Rei turned her head to look back toward Usagi. "Usagi. Why are _you_ crying?"

And Usagi let her wrists go and rubbed the tears away from Rei's cheeks, which only made her cry harder. She slipped down the wall, Usagi following her, until she was sitting on the floor and Usagi was crouching over her.

"What are you doing?" Rei asked.

"I don't know," Usagi said, clearly upset. "Can you help me figure it out? I don't know what I want."

At this, Rei stood up, angrily wiping away the remaining tears. "No. You can't do that. You're married! You already picked what you want."

"Mamo-chan said that…he'd be okay with it, if I wanted more than one thing." Rei's eyes widened at Usagi's confession. "Or…do you not like me?"

"Of course I do. But I guess you could call me selfish." She turned away, unlocking the door. "I want only you, but I want all of you." She turned the doorknob.

"But-"

"I think you should just be with Mamoru. Be happy." The tears were starting up again, she took her hand off the handle long enough to wipe them away.

"I can be happy with Mamoru. But I can't be happy with _just _Mamoru," Usagi said, and as she said it she realized the truth in the words. "So maybe I'm the selfish one."

"Maybe," Rei replied, but she turned back around to face Usagi again and knelt in front of her. "No. No, you're not. You just need to sort things out, and I'm not impartial enough to help you do it. And I need to sort things out, too." She stood up. "So. Um. Call me, whenever. Thanks for coming."

She hastily exited, too quick for Usagi to tell her that her makeup was smudged. Usagi sighed and stood up. She washed her face in the sink, watching her carefully applied makeup swirl down into the pipes.

* * *

And of course, she told him what he had done. How right it had felt, but how wrong it had felt at the same time.

"Even though you kind of game me permission," she said, "It still felt like I was cheating on you."

"There's also the fact that you really hurt your best friend," Mamoru said. She winced. Maybe he shouldn't have been so direct, but she needed to face up to it. It had been painful to see Rei come out of that hallway with her mascara running and her lipstick smudged. Ami and Minako had hastily ushered her away from the main hall and down another hallway, toward the kitchens. Then Usagi had walked out, looking significantly more composed, though still upset.

"Yeah, that too," she muttered.

"Anyway," he said, "If I gave you permission, why do you feel like its cheating?"

"Mamo-chan. We're _married_."

Mamoru mulled it over for a moment. His next proposition was maybe going a step too far, but it seemed necessary.

"Then, why don't we get a divorce?"

Their eyes met, for just a moment, before Usagi nodded ever so slightly.

* * *

_Now_

Well, it was partially her story to tell, but she wasn't about to reveal her involvement in their divorce to Yuuichirou until she felt readier. And then there was the aftermath of the divorce, which was a whole other story. She still couldn't really grasp everything that had happened between them. For now, she shoved the whole thing onto the backburner of her mind, and focused on their current situation.

Their search for Chiba Mamoru, alias Tuxedo Kamen, had proved fruitless. Too wary of any media attention that would arise, the Senshi had decided to not alert the police yet of a missing person. Fortunately for them, Mamoru had been on his week off work for the month, but time was running out, and the hospital would soon be expecting him to show up for his ER shift.

"We could call in sick for him," Artemis suggested.

"That would only last a couple of days, though," Luna replied, and the Senshi and the cats sat, stumped, unsure of what to do. They had not been contacted by the High Priest, and had no leads on how to find them.

"Let's just take a few more days to think about it, Artemis said. It was the only thing they could do at the moment, so the Senshi continued with their lives, though more paranoid than they had been before.

"Let's put trackers on Yuuichirou and Urawa's cars," Rei said to Ami, and Ami, though she thought it was highly unlikely that they would be kidnapped, was also a strong subscriber to the theory of 'better safe than sorry'. The trackers went on underneath their cars to only mild complaining on the part of their boyfriends.

* * *

Their break happened quite unexpectedly. Rei had just spent another late night at the office and Yuuichirou had decided to surprise her with tickets to a late-night movie. She had been depressed, lately. Understandable, of course, but it killed Yuuichirou to see her this stressed and upset. A movie was not ideal, but what else was there to do so late at night? Clubbing perhaps, but that was not her scene at all, nor his.

And so he waited outside the doors of the office buildings of Kobayashi Corp, leaning against his car, idly whistling a tune. The doors of the building slid open. Yuuichirou stood upright, expecting to see Rei – who else would be working so late? – but the answer became obvious as the figure drew nearer. It was Watanabe Hiroshi, Rei's assistant.

"Kumada-san! I wasn't expecting you," Watanabe said, reaching into his briefcase.

"No need to check your planner," Yuuichirou said. "You didn't forget anything. This is a surprise for Rei!"

"I'm sure she'll appreciate it! She looks like she's been having a harder time than usual lately."

"Hmm."

The two men stood in silence, Yuuichirou once again leaning against his car. If Watanabe had finished for the day, Rei was likely not far behind.

"You know, Kumada-san, I attended Tokyo University too, just like you and Hino-sama," Watanabe said, out of the blue.

"Yes, I think Rei told me, once."

"You're still quite popular there, you know? You and Hino-sama both. I've heard good things about you. For instance, you've always supported the Senshi, even after they killed that man."

"Of course I've always supported them," Yuuichirou said, frowning. It seemed like a rather strange thing to base an assessment of character on.

"Kumada-san, this is not something I've told Hino-sama yet. I need to be sure of her receptiveness, and maybe you can help me. You see, I am part of a somewhat underground society that is strongly pro-Senshi. Our mission – well, it's evolved a bit over the past few months, but I want to invite you to join. Of course, I'll introduce you to our group, first, and you can see for yourself if it's worth it."

Yuuichirou's mind raced. A pro-Senshi underground group sounded like…

Outwardly, he remained calm. He shrugged.

"I guess I can take a look. I appreciate the invitation. When can I go pay a visit?"

"Actually, if you don't mind, I'd like to introduce you as soon as possible. We're having an important meeting tonight."

"Tonight? But…"

"Hino-sama wasn't expecting you, anyway."

"Fine," Yuuichirou said, and he suddenly remembered the tracker on his vehicle. "But we'll have to take my car. I can't leave it here."

"I understand. I'll direct you, then."

* * *

What a dork, Rei thought, looking at the GPS display. She watched as Yuuichirou's position drew close to her office and then stopped outside. He had been there for an hour already. It couldn't be helped, though. The piles of paper still stacked on her desk attested to it. She'd probably have to work overnight. Sighing, she reached for her phone. She hated to ruin his good intentions, but it was better than having him wait out there until dawn.

She was about to dial him when she noticed his position moving away from her office. Maybe he had gotten tired of waiting? Unlikely. Maybe he was going to get something, something he had forgotten. That was a much more likely explanation.

But when one was a Senshi, one quickly learned that the likely explanation wasn't. The work would have to wait. She quickly headed out of her office, slowed down by having to lock all the doors behind her. When she finally made it to street level, Yuuichirou's car was long gone, almost to the highway already.

Fortunately, it had rained that day, and she had taken a boring black sedan instead of her usual red convertible. A perfect, stealthy vehicle when following someone, she thought, heading for the parking garage, and then she was suddenly struck by a blonde on a rickety bike.

"What the hell, Minako?" Rei stood up, holding her nose as it began to bleed.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry Rei-chan! I didn't see you there at all! I mean you have black hair and you're wearing a black suit and it's pretty dark…"

"Why are you dressed like a bank robber at this time of night?" Rei asked, casting a critical glance over Minako's outfit. They had given up this method of looking for Tuxedo Kamen days ago, or so Rei had thought, but Minako's shifty eyes made Rei realize that Minako had kept looking, all by herself.

"…No reason. It's late! You're only finishing now?"

"Said one workaholic to another. Oh, whatever! I don't have time for this, I've gotta go."

"Where are you going?" Minako asked, slipping into the driver seat of Rei's car as soon as she unlocked the door. Rei sighed and got into the passenger seat, familiar with the futility of arguing with Minako. Instead, she just held up the GPS that had Yuuichirou as a blinking light speeding down the highway.

"Stalking your boyfriend. I see you're finally using the tips I gave you," Minako said, tearing out of the garage.

"Shut up, Aino! Maybe it's a little paranoid of me, but he could be getting kidnapped at gunpoint as we speak!"

"Anything is possible," Minako mused, getting onto the ramp that led to the highway. Yuuichirou's car was too far ahead for them to catch up, but the tracker held steady, and Minako found herself heading past countless districts, through the suburbs, until they were outside of the city, in a well-forested area that Minako had never been to. Late at night, like this, with nobody in sight and few functioning street lamps, the place seemed creepy, and it grew even creepier as they got off the highway and onto a backroad. Soon they were onto a gravel road. Minako opted to go a distance away, parking the car about a few kilometers from where Yuuichirou's was parked.

"It won't do for your car to be found," Minako explained to a grumbling Rei. The pair transformed silently and soon Sailor Venus and Sailor Mars were walking deeper into the forest, making their way over exposed tree roots and through tall grass. Half an hour later they spotted Yuuichirou's car parked close to a cave entrance.

"Well that's not a good sign," Venus said. Mars glared at her. "Let's wait out here for a bit?"

Sailor Mars sighed, but nodded. It wouldn't do to rush in. They hid themselves behind a large tree and waited, carefully watching the cave entrance. They heard no noise coming from within it.

"Maybe he's not in the cave," Mars suggested. "Let's scout out the area and make sure."

"No, he's definitely in that cave," Jupiter said.

Sailor Mars nearly jumped out of her skin, whirling around and coming face to face with Sailor Jupiter.

"Mako-chan?"

* * *

AN2: I'm so excited to be writing this again. Looking at my outlines, things only get more complicated from here.

Thank you, **StormBrisingr, Mystra32, zelene2004, **and **The JamesS**. **Neanda**, so it is an arrow! And yes, I know I did a horrible thing to Makoto :) **Gear001**, you'll find out even more about the HP soon! I was also hesitant about the guns (especially since Tokyo isn't exactly firearms city), but, well. Next chapter: Where has Makoto been?


	10. From a Land

AN: Makoto's trip – part one of two. Makoto surprised me. She has more problems than I thought she would have.

**CHAPTER NINE**

_Then_

After dropping Rei off at the bus stop, the girls accompanied Makoto to the airport and decided they would wait with her until she absolutely had to go through the gates. They quickly found the only restaurant that was open and ordered breakfast. The other girls ate their food and chatted about nothing consequential. Makoto neither spoke nor ate, choosing instead to stare at her plate. The eggs were undercooked and she was going to get salmonella for sure if she ate them and she was about to go on a plane.

She gripped her fork tightly.

Somehow when she had agreed to Minako's plan she had failed to realize that getting from her current location to her final destination would involve getting into an airborne deathtrap powered by combustibles. She had desperately searched online for trips to London by boat, or train, or anything, but had no success.

Still she was unwilling to back down. She had agreed to Minako's plan, and Minako had already bought the astonishingly expensive ticket, and she was going to go to London and track down these terrible architects that made the warehouse collapse and she was going to get her freaking powers back if it killed her.

Which it might.

To distract herself she returned her attentions to staring intently at her fork. She smiled as she felt a small static shock between her hands and the metal of the fork. Electricity was a comfortable, familiar feeling, and she never understood why Usagi and Minako were both so scared of thunderstorms, even now, but she wouldn't tease them about it. Her own fear of planes was almost wholly irrational, she knew.

"- so in general, the odds of being in a fatal accident is one in several million," Ami had concluded, after a long monologue where she rattled off the statistics regarding plane crashes, by airline. "Which is an astonishing rate, considering the regular sleep deprivation pilots suffer from. You'll be fine."

But fine what was exactly the opposite of what her parents were. Her parents had been managed to land in that one in several million. Maybe luck was inherited or something. Who thought it was a good idea for mankind to fly, anyway? People were wingless for a reason.

She gripped her fork more tightly.

The slight movement did not escape Ami, who had been carefully watching her friend. Ami had a hunch that her efforts to reassure Makoto had been a complete failure. Her hunch was confirmed by the white knuckles surrounding the fork handle.

Ami sighed, reached into her jacket pocket, and pulled out a small plastic container. "Mako-chan, here," and she handed the container over. Makoto took it and skimmed the label, but the long words ending in –ane and –one and –ine meant nothing to her.

"Sleeping pills," Ami said. "I'm giving you enough for at least several flights in case you need to go anywhere else, but take them only on flights and never more than two per flight."

"Thanks, Ami-chan."

And just an hour later she was sitting on the plane. The direct flight from Tokyo to London was stuffed with business types. She took the window seat and stared outside the little pane, and saw nothing but tarmac and service crews.

This was fine. She could do it. She was grateful for the pills, but she wouldn't _drug herself_ just for a little thing like flying on a plane.

The captain spoke English but after he finished his spiel a flight attendant translated it all into Japanese. She found it hard to focus on what the attendant was saying, though, catching just two parts of the little speech: "12-hour flight" and "Please put on your seatbelts".

She grabbed the strap, pulled it across her lap, and awkwardly tried to jam the metal piece into the latch. But her hands were trembling too much and her fingers couldn't quite get a grip. The businessman sitting next to her gave her a sympathetic look and offered to do it for her.

Then they started moving. The tarmac rumbled under the wheels and Makoto felt a horrible pressure in her gut as the plane slowly but surely started its ascent.

She froze, breaking out into a cold sweat that left her shivering. She sat rooted to her chair, unable to move, her hands tightly gripping the armrests. The plane tilted upwards. She slapped her hands over her mouth, holding back a scream.

"Lady, are you okay?" The man was speaking English and Makoto was not sure what he had said but the concern coloring his voice told her enough. She pointed at the plastic container jammed into the pocket in front of her, right next to the SkyMall catalog and an airline magazine. He grabbed the container, twisted the cap open, skimmed the instructions, and dropped two pills into her open hand.

She hastily swallowed them and a few minutes later she was in a state of fitful sleep.

* * *

She awoke ten hours into the flight and the landing was yet another ordeal but the man sitting beside her held her hand the entire way down and when they finally stopped he gave her a small smile to which she could only reply: "Thank you".

And it did not fully strike her that the flight would only be the first of many major problems until she walked out into the airport and heard only one thing pouring from the intercoms and the mouths of the people bustling about the airport, and saw only one thing scrolling across the screens and splayed in large type across newspaper and magazine headings:

English.

It all meant nothing to her. She vaguely remembered a few phrases from her high school days. Hello. Thank you. You're welcome. Bathroom. Goodbye. I love you. No English.

All handy words and phrases, but not nearly enough for day-to-day living and definitely not enough to investigate shady business practices.

She breathed in deeply, then slowly exhaled. First things first. She obtained her luggage and left the airport, looking up and down the street she found herself on. Fortunately there were cars that were quite obviously taxis passing by every five seconds. She hailed one, and the cabbie helped her put her luggage in and asked her something.

"No English," she said.

The man nodded, then shrugged and spread his arms out, palms upwards.

Like, _what are you gonna do?_

She silently handed him a piece of paper with the address of the apartment Minako had loaned for her. He scanned the paper and nodded. Soon they were off, zipping down the roads past a landscape that seemed familiar and unfamiliar all at once. The skyscrapers, the lights, the mass of people and cars, the density of everything, the way it was all stuffed together. These were things big cities shared and Tokyo held its own against London.

But then there were a lot of different things. Mostly, the buildings all seemed so old compared to the ones in Tokyo. And people were tall. To her great dismay she was still taller than most of the women she saw, but at least she would not be constantly towering over men.

She jumped in her seat as an Aino Minako song came on, one of her English ones. She had no idea what the lyrics meant but she knew them all anyway, and she softly sang along.

"A fan, huh?" the driver said. The man eyed her in the rearview mirror. She wondered if he expected her to reply.

"Want to learn English? I recommend watching lots of TV."

She caught the word "TV" and nodded. He smiled.

"This is you," he said, pulling up to a little building made of brown bricks. "Nice neighbourhood, I'd like to afford digs here someday but it doesn't seem likely."

He helped her unload the luggage and bring it into the apartment, and then with a jaunty wave he drove away, leaving her alone in the middle of London, England, far far away from Tokyo, Japan.

* * *

She wished she were back on the flight.

The ceiling of her bedroom wall was not all that interesting and did not distract her from that thing she didn't want to think about.

Her house was nice, if small, but it was more than large enough for one person. It had two floors. The upstairs had two small bedrooms and a bathroom. The downstairs had a dining room, living room, and a kitchen. All the rooms were sparsely furnished and the walls all painted white, leaving a very airy impression.

The house was, in fact, a little too large for one person.

She eyed her trunk. It was sitting in the middle of the floor, unzipped, various clothing items spilling out. Earlier she had rummaged through it, looking for bedsheets. She thought she should probably start unpacking, and maybe figure out what she still needed. Probably a lot of stuff for the kitchen, and probably a lot of the little things you didn't realize you needed until you needed them. Like nail files. Or salt and pepper shakers.

In her hand she gripped the little plastic container that held the sleeping pills Ami had given her. There was something comforting about the smooth plastic. _Enough for at least several flights_.

She chucked the container away, heard the pills rattle in the container as it hit the wall and rolled along the floor, coming to a stop somewhere.

Jetlag. It was just jetlag, addling her mind. A nine-hour time difference would do that to anyone.

She reached for the nightstand next to her and grabbed her cellphone. She scrolled through the contacts. Minako had someone leave this cellphone here for her, already activated and with her friends' numbers in them.

_Aino Minako_

"Mako-chan! You made it!"

"I can't believe it either," she joked, and she told Minako about her flight, and about the city, and thanked her for the house, and she listened to Minako talk about her day at the studio, and how she would be going to dinner soon with some kind of producer, and they talked until Minako excused herself, claiming she had to get ready for said dinner, and Makoto begged her to stay on a little longer, but Minako's stylist wanted to try this new hairdo-

And after the dial tone, Makoto went back to staring at the ceiling.

She drifted to sleep.

* * *

She spent her days running errands or mindlessly wandering the streets, and her nights planted in front of the television, watching everything she found remotely interesting. Eventually she settled on cartoons. The vocabulary was straightforward enough that she could pick it up quickly, and the characters' exaggerated reactions and the strange worlds they lived in were amusing even if she couldn't quite grasp everything that was happening.

_Who lives in a pineapple under the sea?_

Simple enough.

_Absorbent and yellow and porous is he._

More difficult, but a look in the dictionary was all that was needed.

_If nautical nonsense be something you wish_

The grammar did not seem quite right according to the books she had started piling up.

_Then drop on the deck and flop like a fish._

Eventually, she got it.

It had taken months, and she still wouldn't say she spoke English, exactly. News programs were often beyond her and documentaries were out of the question. Reading was still a struggle. But she thought that maybe she could start her investigations. Minako had never brought it up during their phone conversations, but Makoto still felt as if she should be further into solving the mystery than she was.

What Minako did bring up often was Makoto's refusal to call any of the other girls.

It wasn't like she hadn't tried. She had called Usagi, once, and had immediately hung up after hearing her voice. The familiar high-pitched, enthusiastic strains of Usagi's voice made her so homesick that she immediately curled into herself and started crying. That had not been a good day.

Her attempt to call Ami had ended in a similar disaster, except she hadn't even been able to hang up the phone before she started crying.

And she simply couldn't call Rei. Rei had apparently solved at least some of her major problems. Certainly, her most pressing one, at least. Makoto wanted to make a little bit of progress on her own issues before talking to Rei, for fear that her own continued depressive episode would bring the other girl back down.

This depressive episode had to stop. She wanted Sailor Jupiter's powers back. She wanted so badly to start investigating now that her grasp of English had improved, but how could she face down major dangers without her attacks?

Which was why late one night she headed out into the streets of London, past her usual boundaries. In the residential areas she wandered through there was hardly any one out, so when she found a small park in a quiet neighbourhood she decided it would be a safe place to transform.

She hadn't changed into Sailor Jupiter since she had arrived in London. The elbow-length gloves felt unfamiliar and she itched to remove them. Instead she opted to do a few laps around the park, warming up so that she barely felt the chill on her bare legs.

Even after being warmed up she continued running, and she soon realized she was stalling. Eventually she slowed to a jog, stopping in the middle of the park.

The sky above her held just a few clouds, not enough to block out the light of the full moon. It was just her, standing alone, casting a long shadow on the grass in front of her.

She crossed her forearms, raised them up.

"Supreme..." – she felt the spark of energy flow through her, up to her fingertips, her whole body buzzing – "Thunder!"

And it all fizzled into nothing.

Maybe, she thought, she could do her investigating without the attacks. She still had super strength and super healing and she didn't intend to electrocute anyone anyway. Hopefully she just wouldn't run into any supernatural beings.

* * *

The architecture firm's main office held little promise for would-be clients. The building looked like it was held together by pins and needles. Gables were barely hanging on to the roof. Graffiti was scrawled all over the walls, the bright neon lettering standing out more than the sign that hung above the main entrance. The sign was smudged by dirt and pulled apart by wear and tear but the words "SFR Engineering" could still be deciphered from it.

Makoto pushed the door open and stepped inside what was probably the lobby. It was a large room with a man sitting behind a counter at the side but the room had no chairs, plants, or any other inviting sign.

Makoto began to doubt the legitimacy of this business.

"Welcome to SFR Engineering. What do you want?"

"Is there anyone around who could answer some questions about plans your company made for an overseas firm?"

"You're going to have to be more specific than that, honey," he said.

She gritted her teeth, determined not to let his condescending tone sidetrack her.

"A plan for a warehouse for Akiyama & Sons, built five years ago."

"Who wants to know?"

"I'm with a shipping company and I'm looking to build a few warehouses." She pulled out a business card and handed it over to the man, who cast a skeptical look at both her and the card. Eventually he shrugged, stood up, and disappeared behind a door. Minutes later he returned, another man in tow.

"This is John Wright," he said. "He was one of the leads on that project."

"Please, follow me," John said, and Makoto followed him into the building, up a set of rickety stairs to an office that featured a desk flanked by two chairs. He sat in one and gestured for Makoto to take the other.

"You're not really here from a shipping company." Makoto shook her head. John nodded and pulled out a newspaper clipping from one of the desk drawers. He laid it on the table and slid it over to Makoto. There was no way she was going to get through the small print, but the headline was clear enough.

ARCHITECT BOSS CHARGED WITH FRAUD, FLEES COUNTRY

"It wasn't very good press," he said. "We've been in dire straits since then. We don't get too much business anymore." He drummed his fingers on the edge of the desk. "We used to cut a lot of corners, got a huge profit on all our projects for coming in under budget, paid ourselves 'bonuses'. I won't deny it. He took all the blame for it, though."

"Where is he now?" Makoto asked, because though she had so many more pressing questions, she knew she couldn't leave here without that piece of information.

He shrugged. "I think he said he had family in Central Europe, though he didn't say exactly where. His name is Herman Konig, though he probably changed it."

"Why are you telling me this?"

At this, the man shifted in his chair and cleared his throat. But he stayed silent. Makoto crossed her arms. He stood up, turned to face the window, and clasped his hands behind his back.

"I hate to assume," he said, "But you're here to talk to me about the warehouse collapse that killed that man after your superheroes beat the building up, right?"

Makoto clenched her hands, gripping the fabric of her pants, but she managed a nod.

"He was my cousin," she choked out, hoping the lie would prevent more questions.

"I made a mistake. We were so used to turning over huge profits for ourselves and when Akiyama & Sons refused to pay our usual price… But we had to do the project. I don't know why, but Herman so badly wanted to do a project for a company overseas.

"So we did it. And Herman said we'd get our bonus elsewhere, and I trusted him. When we finished drawing up the plans, he approached me, said he didn't want to get any of our other architects involved. He said someone would pay us big if we'd just put a few structural flaws in one of the warehouses. Not enough to be noticed by a casual inspection, or anything, just enough that it could conceivably collapse if it suffered a lot of strain."

Makoto felt her blood freeze for a moment before the rage started pulsing through her veins, driving her to action. She leapt to her feet, and she needed to do something, _anything_, and before she knew it she had reached for the desk and flipped it over. A metallic clang echoed through the room as the drawers flew open and the papers and folders in them spilled out, sliding every which way across the floor.

It wasn't enough. She lunged toward the man, who had turned his back toward the window, and slammed her hands on either side of his head. His pupils widened and he cringed and she felt a sharp tug of satisfaction at having scared this abhorrent man.

"Why? Why would you do that? A man died!"

He slid to the floor, covering his face with his hands. She turned back toward the desk, gave it a kick, felt slight pain as her toe struck against the metal. She kept kicking it and kicking it until she made a dent and she realized her foot really hurt.

Finally, she asked: "Who paid you to do it?"

"Who paid us? I don't know. I didn't really care. I didn't think about what could happen. I just made a few changes to the plan, sent them to Akiyama & Sons, and they started construction, and everything was fine, until Herman got charged with fraud and then I saw that headline about the man who got killed."

That got Makoto's blood pulsing again. She reached for his collar and pulled him upwards, pushed him up against the wall, and raised him up until his feet were dangling beneath him. He let out a strange garbled sound, his Adam's apple rapidly bobbing up and down.

"So it was your fault!"

"Don't you think I know that?" She slammed him against the wall again. He grunted as the back of his head smacked against the hard plaster. For a moment her grip on his collar tightened. This man was skinny and worked a white-collar job. She could hurt him, badly.

And it would take too little effort.

She let go of his collar. He stumbled as he tried to catch his footing again.

"You're going to help me. You're going to find him."

He nodded.

"I'll be back in a month and you better have his location by then. Don't even think about running away. I'll be watching."

He nodded again. "What are you going to do when you find him?" he squeaked out.

"You don't want to know."

* * *

She was sure that John Wright wouldn't want to know what she would do to Herman Konig when she found him, because she herself didn't want to know.

It was the third time she had let anger get the better of her. Usually she was good at keeping handle on it, putting it to use only when it was necessary, like when her friends were threatened or when there was some kind of injustice being committed.

She kept a careful watch on herself. Her temper was nowhere as explosive as Rei's could be, but it was still there, simmering under her skin, ready to come out when the provocation got to be too much. It was what had gotten her into so many fights back when she was much younger. The kids who made fun of her being an orphan, she didn't mind so much. But how could she stand by when she saw bullies picking on little kids? Conflicts would always devolve into physical violence. Even after she went through martial arts training and set strict regimens for herself, her body was always her best instrument, and when she felt the need to take action, she defaulted to it.

But lately, her temper was on a short string and her reactions more violent. The first time had been at her job at the flower job, when a customer would just not stop talking about the Incident, despite her repeated requests that the customer change topics.

"It's just very upsetting to me," she said.

"So? I've got opinions and you're a wage slave, you've got to listen to me, the customer is always right," the customer had replied.

Fine, that wasn't _exactly_ what he had said. But it was what Makoto had heard, and he kept going on about what a shame it was and how horrible it was and how sad it was and finally she flipped. Vases broke, flowers got strewn about, and though she never touched the customer she had used her size to intimidate him out of the store.

And then she had gotten fired.

Then there was that little confrontation with Haruka, where her own violence had shocked her. And now her loss of temper at the SFR Engineering office.

Careening between listlessness and sudden spikes of rage was making her sick, she thought. If only she could get a grip on her emotions, everything would be better.

Surely.

* * *

A month later she returned to the SFR Engineering offices. She had, of course, not been watching John Wright at all the whole time. She suspected that he had fled to parts unknown.

But she had to try. She entered to office and was waved through quickly by the receptionist. She made her way to John's office and cautiously pushed the door open. There he was, sitting rigidly at his desk, his hands clasped tightly in front of him.

"Ms. Kinomoto. Please come in, take a seat."

It took a moment for Makoto to realize that he was speaking to her. He was using the fake name she had put on her fake business card. He must know that wasn't her real name.

"You're not the only one using a pseudonym nowadays," he said, as she sat down across from him. "I found him. Herman Konig now goes by Henry King. He's staying in Poland with some of his cousins." From the desk drawer he pulled out a slip of paper and slid it over to Makoto. "I stuck around, but he's a slippery one. If you find him, don't let him out of your grasp."

Makoto mutely nodded. She grabbed the paper and stood, intent on booking the next plane to Poland.

"Wait," John said, "I just – before you leave, I need to say – I really am sorry."

Makoto bit her lip and looked the man over carefully. He shuffled his feet.

"I didn't mean for anyone to die. But I know – even if I didn't mean it – it's still my fault, and what I did was unforgivable, and I regret it every day. And I'm just so…sorry."

"I can't forgive you," she said.

"I know," he said. He bowed.

She bowed in return, and took her leave.

* * *

The flight to Poland was almost worse than the flight to London. No one was sitting beside her, ready to hold her hand, and her continual whimpers seemed to alert no one to the fright seizing her blood. The short flight didn't even give her enough time to use one of the sleeping pills.

She grabbed a taxi, booked a hotel near her destination, and waited until it was very late at night. She pulled on a dark blue pair of jeans and a matching hoodie and jumped out of her hotel room's window. It was only on the second floor, and her inconspicuous exit was a success. No one was out on the streets at this time on a weekday night.

She should have been used to the stillness of this time of night, but without Sailor Jupiter, the blackness surrounding her left her with the feeling that she was going to be swallowed up.

But the sailor fuku was meant for fighting. And what she was doing was stalking.

Maybe she should have called Minako for tips, she thought idly, as she approached her target. How did one even go about stalking someone? She was now staring at the somewhat rundown building that presumably housed Henry King. A rundown office, a rundown house – Herman Konig was clearly not a man who had his life together.

John had described him as a stout, blond-haired man, but that described many of the people she had seen in this city. Hopefully there weren't too many people in this house.

She circled the building, looking for any sign of an alarm system. Finding none, she returned to the back of the house and smashed a window in.

She stayed still for a moment, waiting to see if anyone would wake up. But the carpeting below the window softened the sounds of shattering glass. She reached inside and with some awkward twists of her wrists managed to get the window latch open. Moments later she was standing inside the house, looking guiltily at the broken window.

The bedrooms were most likely upstairs. In the first room there was a couple sleeping peacefully. They were both brown-haired – but hair could easily be dyed. Still it took a while to lose weight, and the man on the bed looked far from stout.

That was probably not him, then. She moved on to the next bedroom, to find two children in a bunk bed.

There was only one room left. She finally found her target. A stout blond man looking very disproportionate as he lay on a small bed. A look around the room confirmed her suspicions. There was a growth chart on the doorpost. The walls were painted in bright colors. There was a nightlight stuck in the outlet, emitting a very soft glow.

This clearly used to be a child's bedroom, and the man looked so very out of place.

He had a full beard. He looked about forty. His lashes were surprisingly long. He was dressed in flannel pajamas and wore socks to bed. He looked out of place, but he looked like a very normal person, and he was lying there, not a foot away from her, entirely vulnerable to anything and everything.

She could reach out right now and-

She wondered if this was how the bad guys felt. She felt like she could do anything and everything to this man. She could see how the feeling would be appealing to some people.

But it wasn't appealing to her. She didn't need power. She needed answers. She shook her head to clear her mind and tried to decide on a course of action. She decided that if she returned him before dawn it wouldn't technically be kidnapping. It would be more like forcefully borrowing.

* * *

The man came to slowly at first, but then his eyes shot open as he realized he was not where he was supposed to be.

"What the fu-"

"I'm not going to hurt you," she said. Her words might have been more convincing had he not been tied to a tree.

"Who the hell are you? Where am I?"

"It doesn't matter who I am, but I'll be gracious in this case. You may call me Sakura Kinomoto."

"Ms. Kinomoto," he said, as if tasting the name. Then he spat. "I don't approve of kidnapping."

"Well then I guess we're even. I don't approve of murder." She took a few steps towards him and leaned down so that her face was level with his. "I guess you've heard that your Akiyama & Sons project didn't turn out so well."

A muscle jumped in his jaw as he clenched his teeth together. "It was an accident," he ground out. "Very unfortunate."

"Yes. How unfortunate that SFR Engineering purposely inserted structural flaws into their design plans and got a huge payout for doing so."

The man stayed silent. Makoto wondered if she should have gone a subtler route. Maybe she should have tried to befriend him and then have him spill his guts. Maybe she should have bribed him. Kidnapping was somewhat of a drastic first move.

But it had already been months. This was the fastest way. Anyway, it was too late to think of what ifs.

"I really need only one thing from you. I need to know who paid you to screw up the designs."

"Nobody did. I didn't do anything and you can't prove it in any case."

She could feel her temper rising again. The tightening of her throat, her fingers clenching into fists, her heart rate accelerating.

"Seriously, I'm warning you right now. Tell me who paid you, or what happens next won't be pretty."

He smiled. "Lady, a lot of bad things have happened to me. My whole life has just been a lot of bad things happening to me. Do your worst."

"Listen. That man who died? That was my cousin. Your greediness killed my cousin."

"Well, I'm sorry about that," he said, shrugging. "Wrong place, wrong time. That's happened to me a lot, too. I can see why you'd want revenge or something though. So go ahead."

"I don't need revenge," she said, wincing as she heard her own voice crack, "I just need to know why."

"Why what?"

"Why my cousin had to die."

"He didn't have to die. He just did. There is no why to it."

After a few more moments of silence, the man began to struggle against the ropes tying him to the tree.

"Yes, there is," she replied, walking around the tree and loosening the bindings slightly. "Someone wanted him dead. Maybe not him, specifically, but someone wanted someone to die in that warehouse that night. Why?"

"Hell if I know."

"Do you even care that someone died?"

She watched him carefully, but his expression changed not a bit as he spat out his answer: "No."

And Makoto finally grasped that she was dealing with a truly awful human being.

She let the bindings loose entirely. He took a step away from the tree but immediately fell to the ground, landing with a heavy thump. His ankles and wrists were still bound together. Makoto picked him up and slung him over her shoulder. She ignored his struggling and biting as she clambered up the tree, way up to the highest branches, up to the ones that could barely support their combined weight.

Then she grabbed his shirt collar and hauled him over the branch, dangling him. It was a large tree, and Makoto imagined that for a person not accustomed to heights this was probably pretty high up.

From the nauseated look on Henry King's face, she was right.

"I killed someone once," she said. "I don't want to do it again. It was terrible and wrong. But I don't mind hurting people if I have to. For instance, I could drop you right now, and a few of your bones would definitely break. Trust me, I know from experience – breaking a lot of bones at once? Hurts like hell. And then, right when you've recovered, I'll do it again. And then you'll recover again, and I'll haul you up even higher, and drop you again. A life of pain and medication and broken bones. Does that sound like fun?"

"No! Please don't do this." His desperation seeped into his voice, coloring his plea. Makoto's insides twisted.

"I said I don't _mind_ hurting people. I won't do it if I don't have to. Just tell me who paid you off."

He remained silent.

Makoto let go, and immediately caught him again, but it was long enough for him to let out a shriek, and it was long enough for him to get the message.

The man who had paid Herman Konig extra to rig the warehouse structure had refused to state his name and had paid in cash. His accent was generic, like a BBC reporter. He had brown skin though it was difficult to tell if it was a tan or not, his facial features did not indicate a definite ethnicity, and he wore a tailored but not ostentatious black suit. He was on the slim side and stood at around five feet eight inches.

But there were two traits that made him stand out. First, though he was young, he had shoulder-length, straight white hair. Second, he had amber eyes.

"Hazel?"

"No, no, amber. Like, _yellow_."

"Okay. This man doesn't sound like he can actually exist. So if I don't find him within one year, I will find you again, and I'll assume you've lied to me. And I guess you can imagine what will happen if I think you've lied to me."

"I swear, I'm telling the truth. Weirdest looking man I've ever seen."

Makoto once again swung Henry over her shoulder and clambered back down the tree, setting him down softly on the grass. She stuffed a wad of cash into his shirt pocket – "for the window" – loosened his binds, and was gone before he could free himself entirely.

She managed to get a few kilometers away before she had to stop and throw up.

So she had controlled her temper and avoided an explosion of violence.

Instead it came out as icy, sickening threats.

She wasn't sure she preferred that.

* * *

The description that Henry King had given her was, as far as Makoto was concerned, a dead end anyway. Without a name or a way of tracking his financials she had no real way to find him. Disappointed, Makoto flew back to London, vaguely hoping that John Wright would have more leads. He had promised to update her if he had found out anything else, but she had not heard from him since she had left for Poland. She placed ads looking for men with long white hair and amber eyes. They yielded her few responses, and no legitimate ones. She could not very well go around asking everyone in the U.K. if they had ever seen this man.

After a week of thinking about how she could possibly find this man she decided to take a break and sort through the pile of mail that had accumulated during her trip to Poland. Junk, junk, bill, bill, junk…and then her hands fell upon an envelope with a little bunny drawn on the flap in an inimitable style.

She ripped it open and pulled out a card.

_Mr. and Mrs. Tsukino are pleased to invite you to the wedding of Chiba Mamoru and Tsukino Usagi, to be held on…_

She skimmed over the details and set the card aside before noticing that a slip of paper had fallen out of the envelope. It was scrawled over with a lot of different handwriting and Makoto had to squint to make out all the words stuffed onto the small piece of paper.

Even if she hadn't known what her friends' handwriting looked like, it was easy to tell who had given what.

The absence of kanji. _Mako-chan! I miss you! Come to my wedding please! I love you!_

The tone. _Kino Makoto if you don't want to talk to us on the phone you'd better at least come to this wedding or I swear to the kami there will be consequences. _

The word choice. _Mako-chan, it has been some time since we've spoken with each other. This wedding will give us an opportunity to do so, and your attendance would be greatly appreciated by all of our friends. Additionally, your presence is bound to bring great joy to the bride and groom._

The little heart scribbled at the end. _Mako-chan, seriously. You actually _cannot_ miss this wedding. Call me! 3 _

The honorific. _Makoto-san, you've been our friend for so long and I hope you can take the time out of your trip to attend our wedding. However, I understand if you can't. I fully support your endeavor to find yourself._

She clutched the paper tightly in her hand.

"Mako-chan! How nice to hear from you after so long."

"Yeah, yeah. Listen, Minako-chan, I got a lot of info about the engineering firm and the whole…Incident…but it's leading nowhere."

"Okay? What kind of info did you get?"

"I'll tell you when I see you at the wedding."

Moments later she was in possession of a round-trip London-to-Tokyo ticket. She would be back home in two weeks.

* * *

AN: Thanks **Tenkaichi**! I do like Mamoru a lot. Yes Usagi IS mostly healed, one bullet is nothing to these girls! But I should have included something, and I will when I get around to revising this whole story. Thank you, **Neanda**, **Gear001**, and **BlueLion**. Usagi's birthday is also something I'll have to fix, thanks for pointing it out. **BlackGekikara**, thanks. Usagi's in college in chapter one.** Mystra32**, the horrible thing I did to Makoto was 1) put her on a plane to 2) London, even though she sucks at English!

Next chapter: I was debating not describing the Mamoru/Usagi wedding at all but I know you are all here for Rei/Usagi and weddings are prime grounds for this type of stuff. So, there will be a wedding, and then Makoto will travel and investigate some more.


	11. Discovery

AN: Once again I fail to deliver in a timely manner, but, well, here it is. Makoto's travels – part two of two. Summaries provided for the previous two chapters; a summary of the whole story previous to that can be found in chapter eight.

CHAPTER EIGHT SUMMARY

The High Priest holds a meeting, where he convinces his followers to kill the Senshi, in order to spare them the suffering of fighting for good in a fundamentally bad world. His attempt to kill them is a disastrous failure. A few nights later, the High Priest, the Kill Hamilton faction, and the Senshi bump into each other. The High Priest holds the people of the Kill Hamilton faction hostage, freeing them only in exchange for Tuxedo Kamen.

The Senshi try to find him. During a car ride, Yuuichirou asks Rei about the circumstances of Usagi and Mamoru's divorce. After two parties featuring awkward romantic interludes between Rei and Usagi, Usagi and Mamoru mutually agree to separate.

A few nights later, Rei's assistant Watanabe invites Yuuichirou to a meeting of a pro-Senshi group. Yuuichirou agrees to go with him. Minako and Rei track his car to a cave outside of the city. Makoto shows up, surprising Minako and Rei.

CHAPTER NINE SUMMARY

With Minako's financial backing, Makoto flies to England to further investigate the warehouse's collapse. An architect, John Wright, admits flaws were purposely put into the plans and helps Makoto find his boss, Herman Konig, who has fled to Poland. Makoto finds him and intimidates/threatens him into telling her who paid the firm to put structural flaws into the architectural plans. He describes a strange-looking man. On her return to England, Makoto gets a wedding invitation in the mail, for Usagi and Mamoru's wedding.

**CHAPTER TEN**

_Then_

Makoto had forgotten that Tokyo got very hot in August, and so she found herself sweating through her shirt as she stood outside the airport, waiting for her ride. She pulled at her collar, hoping to get some air flowing, but the humidity pressed down on her, stifling.

A black sedan came to a stop beside her. The passenger window slid down and she saw two of her best friends for the first time in almost a year.

Rei's dark purple eyes and Minako's light blue ones fixed on her own green ones. For a long, silent moment, they simply stared at each other.

Then Minako burst out of the car and launched herself at Makoto. Makoto grinned as she awkwardly caught her, stumbling a little bit before catching her footing.

Minako eventually removed herself from Makoto's grasp, and she was quickly replaced by Rei, whose hug was a little too tight, but Makoto did not mind having her air circulation cut off at all. It had been far too long since she had seen her friends. It was nice to have confirmation that she hadn't just been making them up to ease her loneliness.

"We missed you so much!" Rei said. "We have so many questions!"

"But I'm sure you don't want to repeat your story five times," Minako added, grabbing Makoto's luggage and stuffing it into the trunk. "Let's go meet with the rest of the gang."

Makoto had expected 'the rest of the gang' to include Usagi, Ami, and perhaps Mamoru, but when she arrived at Minako's apartment, everyone was there. Haruka, Michiru, Setsuna, Hotaru, the cats…

It was a veritable reunion. Makoto spent a while telling them about her travels, about how she could never really get comfortable during flights, about how she had gotten along alone in foreign countries, about the people she had met and the things she had seen.

The mood turned somber as Makoto finally got to the important parts. She told them about her investigations, about how someone had wanted that warehouse to collapse.

"So this John Wright man…he just told you everything?" Haruka asked, exchanging a quick glance with the rest of the girls. Makoto shrugged.

"Yes. I guess he felt pretty guilty about it."

MIchiru's gaze felt heavy as she asked the next question: "And then Herman Konig just gave up all that information, too?"

"He took a little more convincing," Makoto replied, but it was obvious that Usagi and Hotaru were the only people who didn't suspect that there was more to 'convincing' then there seemed to be.

But no one called her out on it. They switched topics to Usagi and Mamoru's weddings plans. Makoto let out a breath and leaned back, tired of being the centre of attention and grateful for the topic change. The pair was going to get married in a week, at a small church in Azabu-Juuban. They were inviting just their family and their closest friends. After the wedding, Luna and Artemis said that they had set up some kind of oath ceremony to vow allegiance to the future monarchs of Crystal Tokyo.

Makoto had no problem vowing allegiance, but the thought of the future rushing upon them so quickly made her feel a little sick.

"I hope you all seriously consider what these vows will entail," Luna said. "I don't want to pressure any of you, but…"

"Good," Michiru said, "Because I don't think we can take these vows."

A very awkward silence followed. Michiru barreled on. "We never know what will happen, or how people will change, or who we'll really need to defend the solar system against."

"Actually, I'm not sure you four need to swear any kind of oaths to them. I mean, only Ami, Rei, Makoto and Minako are really supposed to be their guards – or, her guards, specifically." Artemis frowned at the look he received from Luna. "Luna, we've known this all along. We've got to be careful with our wording. I was thinking that maybe you should all write your own vows. You're the ones who'll be bound by them, after all."

Minako laughed. "I thought Mamoru and Usagi were the ones getting married. Can't we make these vows some other day? It's just too weird."

"It has to be right after their wedding. Any child they have will be a legitimate heir and we never know when she'll be conceived. The vows have to include her."

Usagi and Mamoru both blushed bright red as the other girls snickered.

"Anyway," Usagi said, "You all have to promise me you won't say anything too drastic in these oaths."

The four exchanged glances. Minako spoke for all of them. "Sorry, Usagi. Drastic, well – that's kind of our style."

* * *

She had just grabbed lunch at a nearby restaurant and was returning to her temporary lodgings at Minako's apartment when that same black sedan again stopped beside her.

"Get in, we're going shopping for wedding presents."

"Didn't you get them something from the registry?" Makoto asked. "I got them a blender."

Rei shrugged. "Yeah. I already got them a dining room set, but tables and chairs are a little impersonal."

"True."

Now they found themselves in a large mall. They had been walking aimlessly for half an hour, having stopped at a crystal store and a shoe store and a jewelry store and finding nothing especially appealing.

"How is your oath coming along?" Makoto ventured. "I'm having some problems with mine. It's kind of awkward to swear an oath to one of my BFFs."

"Mako-chan, you did not just use 'BFF'. Can we please talk about anything else?" Rei replied, the irritation clear in her voice. Makoto pressed her mouth into a thin line.

"Look, everything I really want to talk to you about is probably going to annoy you."

Rei sighed. "No, I'm sorry. It's fine. The oath is coming along really, very poorly and awkward doesn't begin to describe it. I think Ami and Minako are probably having more success, though."

Makoto nodded. They entered a flower shop and browsed. Makoto took a deep breath, the familiar smell of plants, flower, soil and water soothing her nerves. She spotted a plant with a few dead leaves. She ran her fingers over the leaves until they crumbled to pieces.

And then new ones immediately took their place.

She jumped backwards and whirled around, trying to find Rei. She was standing by the wisterias.

"Rei-chan," Makoto said, sidling up to her, "I have to ask you something." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "You got your powers back, right? How did you do it?"

"It was difficult," she said, in a very quiet voice. Makoto leaned closer. "I'm still not entirely sure what happened. I had to come to terms with what my values actually are." She bit her lip. "How did it go for you?"

Makoto leaned back and looked away. "Bad. I made a mistake. Herman Konig didn't actually volunteer the information too easily."

"Maybe you need to think about what you actually value, too. Was what you did really a mistake?"

Makoto stayed silent.

* * *

"I am getting a terrible premonition," Ami said drily.

"Yeah, me too," Makoto replied.

They were seated in the second aisle on the bride's side, right behind Ikuko and Shingo. Rather than trying to have a dozen bridesmaids stand beside her, Usagi had decided to have just one maid of honor – her longtime friend, Osaka Naru. No one begrudged her the decision. They all needed reminders of their normal lives.

Furuhata Motoki stood on the other side of the altar, serving as Mamoru's best man. Another longtime friend who almost certainly knew their poorly-kept secret but who kept Mamoru grounded in reality. Mamoru stood beside him, looking a little pale but dashing as usual in his tuxedo.

The church was beautifully decorated in a subtle pink-and-white theme. A long aisle ran down the middle of the church leading up a couple of steps to the altar. A few feet away, Haruka sat at the piano, playing some piece of classical music that Makoto did not recognize.

There seemed to be no reason for her and Ami's premonitions of disaster. The only sign that indicated that anything could go wrong was Rei's death grip on the handkerchief she held in her hands.

Not that Makoto thought Rei would do something cinematic like interrupt the wedding. It was afterwards that she was worried about.

The music stopped, for just a moment. Then Haruka launched into the Wedding March.

The congregation stood, craning their necks to watch as Usagi appeared, in an extravagant dress with a long trail, white flowers clutched in her hands. She began to walk down the aisle, a blush rising on her cheeks from all the attention.

Makoto did not even hear what the priest was saying. Instead she focused on Usagi and Mamoru, who spent the whole time looking into each other's eyes and holding back grins. Her throat clogged up and she felt tears forming in her eyes. She often wondered why people cried at weddings, and now she finally understood.

Their love was obvious and beautiful and Makoto felt a pang of jealousy but mostly she felt overwhelming happiness for her friends, and when they said their "I dos" and exchanged rings Makoto couldn't help but cry.

Then they were gone.

The wedding had gone off without a hitch.

The receptionist was likewise problem-free. The toasts were heartfelt, the dancing was fun, and Makoto's wedding presents – she had settled on a necklace with a gold heart on it for Usagi and a silver pocketwatch for Mamoru – were well-received.

And then the guests began to clear out, and the only people left were the newlyweds, the Senshi, and the cats.

It was time.

Makoto swallowed nervously. The air suddenly felt heavier. She held her hand up.

"Jupiter Crystal Power, Make Up!"

Her uniform wrapped itself around her, smooth as silk as it slid over her skin. A moment later and she was facing four other girls, three dressed very similarly to her –

And one girl dressed in a long flowing white robe and wearing a crown.

"Um…" Usagi looked just as confused by her unusual outfit as the rest of them were.

"Your compact sensed that it was time, Princess Serenity," Luna explained. That explained Mamoru's unusual transformation result as well – he was dressed in a tuxedo, as usual, but he also had armor on his torso and shoulders, a sword hanging from his belt, and a crown adorning his head.

"Let's get this started," Minako said, clapping her hands together. The Senshi dropped to one knee.

"I'm sorry, Princess," Artemis said, "But you're going to have to get used to these kinds of displays."

Luna cleared her throat. "Your Highness. As your loyal advisor, I present to you four soldiers for your consideration. As princesses of their respective houses their grace and honor is without question. Their skills in battle have been amply tested, as has their loyalty to you. The princesses of Mercury, Mars, Jupiter and Venus ask to join your Royal Guard. By the gods and goddesses of Mau I vouch for them."

"I acknowledge your request," Usagi intoned, "I thank you for your diligence, and ask that Princess Mercury please present her oath."

Ami immediately launched into her speech, having clearly practiced it dozens of times. "I swear on my profession that I will forever serve and be loyal to the Princess Serenity and her consort. I will fight to protect her and her people. I will always be motivated by love and justice. In keeping with my strengths I will provide the best counsel that I can. Most importantly, I will sacrifice my life for hers if need be.

"If I keep this oath faithfully, may I enjoy my life and be respected by all humanity and in all times; but if I swerve from it or violate it, may the reverse be my life."

Mamoru's mouth quirked into a smile as he recognized the line she had borrowed from the Hippocratic Oath.

Usagi, on the other hand, was not smiling at all.

"I refuse your vow," Usagi said, her voice decisive. She ignored the dismayed looks she was receiving. "I refuse it unless you take out that part about sacrificing yourself and promise instead to stay alive."

"Usagi-chan. You have to accept these vows."

"I thought the whole point of this ceremony was that I got to accept or refuse them."

Minako jumped to her feet, rapidly closing the distance between her and Usagi until she was less than foot away. "Usagi-chan. I know this isn't what you want to hear, but whether or not you accept these vows, we're going to do exactly what Ami said we will anyway."

She stalked out of the room. Usagi tried to follow after her, but Mamoru held her back.

"Leave her. We'll try this again some other time."

Usagi broke free from his grasp and exited the room through a different door.

"I don't think I'll be of any help to either of them," Mamoru said.

This was enough to motivate the others into action. Luna and Artemis went after Minako. Ami, Makoto and Rei went after Usagi. The girls managed to catch a flash of blonde hair turning a corner. They walked quickly, but lost her trail. Quietly, they stalked through the hallways, until Ami held up a hand. They stopped and in the resulting silence they managed to hear some very stifled sniffling coming from one of the rooms.

Ami and Makoto looked to Rei.

"Why me?" she demanded. "Ugh, fine." She entered the room, closing the door behind her. Makoto and Ami shamelessly pressed their ears to the door.

The room inside was dark, just a little moonlight streaming in from the window. Usagi was sitting on a chair right in the middle of the moonbeam's path. The scene was a little too melancholic. Rei flipped the switch beside the door. Usagi winced as the room filled with light.

"Usagi, stop crying," Rei said, but her command had the exact opposite effect. Usagi only sobbed harder. Rei sighed and approached Usagi, pulling her up off the chair into a tight hug. They stood like that for a long while until Usagi's sobs finally calmed down, her breath no longer hitching. She drew back and wiped her tears away frantically.

"I just get really tired of it sometimes," Usagi said. "I want a normal life for me, and for you, and for all of us. Instead I have to think about dying and ruling and would you all just please stop with the self-sacrificing. I don't even know why I'm telling you this. You're the worst of the bunch!"

"At least I didn't tell you off and walk out on you." Clearly this was the wrong thing to say as tears began to fill Usagi's eyes again. Rei frantically pulled her back into an embrace. "No, I'm sorry. That's not what I meant. I just…just think of it as a job-related disagreement. It doesn't mean Minako's going to stop being your friend or anything. We'll all figure it out eventually."

Usagi smiled. "You mean, you all think you're going to convince me to accept your ridiculous oaths."

"Yeah, pretty much," Rei replied, smiling in return. "Anyway, Minako will be here when you get back. Give her some time to cool off. For now, you'd better find Mamoru and get going. You don't want to miss your flight."

"Flight? What are you talking about?"

"I know you didn't really have time to plan a honeymoon given the short notice, so I did it all for you. Mamoru booked off an extra two days so you'll be flying to Shanghai and spending the week. There's this really nice hotel that I-"

Usagi pulled away, gripping Rei's biceps. "Stop. Stop, Rei. Why did you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Book a honeymoon vacation for us!"

Rei rolled her eyes and barely suppressed a sigh. "What do you mean? I planned it because you're my friends and you both deserve to have a nice, real vacation after your wedding!"

Usagi let go of Rei's arms and broke free of the embrace entirely. "You don't understand."

"Obviously not." Rei crossed her arms. "So please enlighten me."

"I mean you shouldn't have planned our honeymoon!"

This time Rei did sigh, annoyance mixed with relief. "Well, I guess it was a little presumptuous of me, so I'm sorry about that. I wanted to surprise you! I did tell Mamoru about it beforehand, in my defense."

"No, no that's not what I meant. I mean you shouldn't have done it at all." Usagi crossed her arms in turn and glared at Rei, moisture starting to rim her eyes.

"I don't understand. Why not?"

Silence.

"Why are you doing this to me?" Usagi finally asked, her voice strained.

"What? Why are you doing this to _me_?! I don't even know what I did wrong. I'm sorry for booking you a vacation in Shanghai? Just take the damn tickets." She pushed the tickets into Usagi's hands, but Usagi refused to take hold of them. Instead, she turned around and stalked out of the room. Rei followed after her.

"Usagi!"

Usagi whirled around, not even caring that Makoto and Ami were standing next to the door post and had clearly been eavesdropping the whole time.

"This is so stupid!" she hissed. "I can't believe I'm even having this argument. I don't want the tickets!"

"You're right. This is the stupidest argument I've ever had! Will you please just tell me what I did wrong?"

"I don't know, okay? I just know that you, specifically, should not have booked a honeymoon getaway for me and Mamoru, specifically," Usagi replied, stumbling over her words.

"What does that even mean?"

"Nothing. Forget it." Usagi turned around again and took a step forward, intent on leaving, but Rei grabbed her arm and pulled her around so that they were once again facing each other.

"No. I'm not going to forget it. I know what you meant by that and deep down, you do, too! Take a good look at yourself, Usagi. You're not being fair to me, or to him, or to yourself."

"How am I not being fair?"

"Know thyself, Usagi. Words of wisdom from the ancients."

"'Know thyself'? Why do you always have to speak like–ugh, whatever. 'Know thyself'? It isn't as easy as it looks!"

"Don't you think I know that? It takes time, and it's draining, and after you got that freaking Moon wand you've never even had the chance to stop, and take a breath, and just think. You sent me up a mountain because you knew I needed that time, and now I think that _you_ need that time, too. Okay?"

"Fine," she spat out. "But I still don't want to the tickets."

"Fine!"

And with that, Usagi left, leaving Rei standing under the door frame. Rei sighed. This wasn't the first time one of their arguments had skirted the line of the feelings they never talked about, and she had the sinking feeling that it wouldn't be the last.

She looked at Makoto and Ami, who shrank back and awkwardly stared at their feet.

"I'm sorry you had to hear that," she said. "Mako-chan, were you planning on staying in Tokyo after the wedding?"

"Not really."

"Do you want to go to China? I happen to have a pair of tickets to Shanghai."

* * *

Makoto wondered if Usagi would actually take Rei's advice. Probably not, she decided. Sitting in silence and thinking problems through was so very Rei-and-Ami style. Sometimes you just couldn't think yourself out of obliviousness. Or maybe it wasn't obliviousness. Maybe it was good old-fashioned denial. In any case, Minako would surely keep tabs on them, so Makoto re-directed her thoughts to her new location.

Shanghai was interesting. It was even denser than Tokyo and was active at all times, day and night. There was nowhere to disappear to at night to try to practice her Supreme Thunder. Instead she would go downtown and watch movies, or eat at restaurants, or hang out at clubs. She picked up some Mandarin. There were a lot of foreigners in the city, though. Japanese speakers. English speakers. She made friends, or maybe they would better be termed acquaintances. She wasn't sure if she'd keep in touch with them if she ever returned to Japan – when she returned to Japan, she meant.

She went out on a few dates with a Japanese businessman working for a big company. She was too guarded and too distracted. He broke it off. She went out on a few dates with an English artist. He found her to be fascinating and mysterious, two words she did not think she'd ever hear used to describe her.

He asked her to pose nude. She surprised herself by saying yes. He painted her and she saw that he really did care about her and she felt terrible about it because she did not feel the same. She told him. He didn't care. He wanted to be with her anyway.

In November Minako told her the news: Usagi was pregnant. Makoto thought that maybe it meant that Usagi had finally sorted her life out. She mailed Usagi a onesie for ChibiUsa, wondered if she should return to Japan, at least for the birth. She wanted to see her friends. She told the artist about them. He thought Rei's "Usagi situation" was romantic. She thought it was ridiculous and told him so. They broke up. Irreconcilable differences of opinion about romance.

But she was still friends with the artist and with the businessman. Sometimes they all hung out, together. She thought it would be awkward. It wasn't at all. Maybe these two, she could promote from acquaintances to friends. She gave them friendship bracelets, tacky plastic things. They loved them. She loved them. Maybe she could tell them about her double life. Sometimes it was hard not to blurt it out.

One day the businessman told the artist about the Senshi. The artist had never heard of the guardians of love and justice and was delighted to learn about them. He became a big fan. He started drawing comics about them. She asked him not to draw anything X-rated. He obliged and instead drew comics about what their daily lives would be like. He was astonishingly accurate about their personalities, except for Sailor Jupiter's. She found it funny.

He became an even bigger fan when Makoto told him about the death of the salaryman in that warehouse and what a big scandal it had been. The whole event fit nicely into his vision of 'romantic'. He asked her why she seemed so sad about it. She told him it was always sad when someone died. He drew a comic about it. She set it on fire. He got mad. She apologized. He apologized.

ChibiUsa was born. She felt bad about missing it. She sent Usagi and Mamoru a box of toys and a 50-page booklet of babysitting vouchers that they could cash in whenever she returned to Japan. She called Minako. Makoto cried. Minako berated her for missing ChibiUsa's birth anyway. She wondered if she should go home. She wasn't doing much in Shanghai. Minako asked her if she had regained her powers. Makoto had not even had the chance to try. Minako told her she had better stay away until she was back in fighting form.

The artist drew another comic about the warehouse collapse, but this one was much more positive. She didn't know what to say. He told her he had gotten hired by a company that wanted him to draw comics that painted the Senshi in a good light. He told her that that the company was producing a lot of good stuff. He showed her some of it. They had videos, songs, books, and t-shirts. They had pencil cases and binders and many other things.

She asked the businessman to track down who ran the company. He obliged. He told her it was run by an executive with a great track record. But the executive hadn't created the company. It had been created by a large media conglomerate. She asked the businessman why they would do such a thing. He said it had to be for profit. He looked into the company's financials.

It definitely was not for profit. He told her the conglomerate was based in Brazil. She wondered if she'd have to learn yet another language. He told her Brazilian Portuguese was difficult and anyway, all the company heads were Tokyo University alumni. She found this strange. He didn't. He said they ran a lot of things.

She thought she might be chasing dead ends. She thought this didn't have anything to do with the white-haired man. She thought that Shanghai to Rio was a very long flight. She realized she didn't have anything better to do in China. She asked the businessman and the artist to come with her. The businessman had to stay. He promised to visit her in Japan. The artist decided to go with her.

It took her a month to psych herself up for the daylong flight. Finally she landed in Brazil. She tried to get interviews with the company heads. They were busy people. They weren't having it. The artist asked her what exactly she wanted to know. Makoto wanted to know why they were spending so much money to put out pro-Senshi propaganda. He asked her why exactly she wanted to know. Makoto wanted to tell him, but couldn't.

They hung out in Rio. The artist was having the time of his life. Makoto was obsessed with getting an appointment with the company's executives, but she wasn't important enough. She wished she were Rei or Minako. She called Minako again. Minako volunteered to come to Brazil. Makoto wanted to do it on her own. Minako told her that Usagi and Mamoru had divorced. Makoto asked her why. Minako said it was complicated.

She told the artist about this latest development in the Usagi romance saga. He was excited to hear it. Makoto learned about the concept of 'shipping' when he told her that he shipped Rei and Usagi. She asked him why. He didn't even know them. He said he didn't know why. He drew an X-rated comic about them. She wondered if he didn't see the resemblances between them and their Senshi selves. She set it on fire. He drew another one. She mailed it to Rei. Minako called her. She told her Rei was pissed, but not really.

She eventually remembered that even though she didn't have worldly power like Rei and Minako did, she certainly had otherworldly power. She called the businessman and asked him to send her the names and addresses of the company's executives. He tracked them down and sent them. She looked at pictures of them and picked the one with the least intimidating face.

She went to his house.

She forgot that millionaires tended to have extensive security system.

She transformed into Sailor Jupiter.

She pressed the buzzer at the gate repeatedly until someone answered. A man with a gruff voice.

"Security."

"My name is Sailor Jupiter. I want to talk to Shigeru Satoshi."

"Who did you say you were?"

"Sailor Jupiter. I don't know if you've heard of me, but I can assure you that Shigeru-san has."

A man appeared at the gate. He was dressed in a dark blue uniform. He eyed her carefully. She crossed her arms and tapped her foot.

"That's not just really good cosplay, is it?"

"Please. Don't insult me."

"Prove it to me. Prove that you're Sailor Jupiter."

She rolled her eyes. She grabbed one of the gate's cast-iron bars in her left hand, another in her right. She pulled them apart until there was a gap wide enough that a person could step through it.

She stepped through it.

He looked nervous, but he was a good security guard.

"Anyone with super strength could have done that," he said. "I want to see it. The electricity."

She huffed. "As if there are that many people around with super strength? But fine."

Then she remembered that she hadn't tried it in a while.

But she had realized a few things since the last time she'd tried it.

She remembered what Rei had told her, and thought about her values. She thought that maybe her interrogation techniques were right, or maybe they were wrong, and she wasn't sure, and it was okay to not be sure. She thought that people made mistakes all the time and that she didn't have to get everything right. She thought that just like she couldn't forgive John Wright, the SFR Engineering architect, she couldn't forgive herself either.

She thought she had to move forward anyway.

She thought that life was about doing things and sometimes you did the wrong thing but you couldn't just do nothing.

And what she had been doing was a whole lot of nothing.

"Supreme Thunder Dragon!"

The guards eyes widened as an electric dragon erupted from her hands, shooting towards the sky, briefly illuminating the area for a moment before disappearing in one bright flash.

He stood in stunned silence for a moment before grabbing his walkie-talkie and raising it to his lips.

"Boss, Sailor Jupiter is here to see you. I'll escort her in."

The property was huge. The guard drove her to the house in a golf cart. When they arrived Shigeru Satoshi was quick to greet her and usher her into the house.

"I want to see it," was the first thing he said. She raised an eyebrow.

"Maybe not such a great idea indoors. I can show you something else, though." She walked towards a plant that had seen better days. She let a small steak of electricity fly from her fingers, effectively frying the plant. She removed the dead stalk and its leaves, then poked her thumb into the soil. A plant grew, bright green and healthy.

"A literal green thumb," she said, smiling. "I should have figured. The power over life and death is a great responsibility." She turned to face him. "And it's mine to bear."

She took a seat on one of the leather couches in the living room. He took a seat across from her.

"So who's your favorite?" she asked. He looked away uncomfortably. She smiled. "It's okay if it's not me. Everyone has their own taste."

"No, that's the thing…it is you. You're amazing. You're so strong and graceful."

"Thank you. That means a lot to me. Tell me something, though – you are a fan of the whole Sailor Team, right?"

"Yes, definitely! You're all great."

"Such a big fan, that you made a whole company to support us. Well I've got news for you. You owe me a ton of money in merchandising fees." She laughed at his expression of horror. "I'm kidding! I know you're not making a cent from it. Which is why I have to ask: why are you running a money-losing company?"

"He said we had to do anything we could to help you, even if it meant losing money," Shigeru replied.

"Who's he?"

"'He' is our leader. I'm part of a worldwide organization. I guess you could call it a pro-Senshi group."

"This leader of yours. What does he look like?" She felt her insides twist, dreading the answer, but instinctively knowing what it would be.

"He's kind of strange looking. He has brown skin and he's of average height but he has straight, shoulder-length white hair and amber eyes. Ever seen that combination?"

"Where is this leader of yours?" She stood up, energy surging through her as she felt herself so close to finding the man that could solve all the mysteries.

"I don't know, but I know someone who does. He's overseas right now but he'll be back in Japan in two months."

* * *

"I'm going back to Japan," Makoto announced, entering the apartment that she and the artist had rented. "In two months."

The artist looked up from his sketchbook, surprised. "Really? I thought you liked the nomadic lifestyle."

When she thought about it, she had kind of grown used to travelling from place to place. England, Poland, England again, Japan, China, Brazil, and now back to Japan again. She had been to so many places and there were still so many places she could to. Yes. She _did_ like the nomadic lifestyle.

"I didn't say I was going back to Japan forever, though I'll probably have to stay for a while," she said, flopping onto the couch beside him. "I'd like to keep travelling. I don't know how I'd support myself though."

He turned his attention back to his sketchbook, his wrist flicking as he draw bold lines. "You've picked up so many languages you could probably work anywhere. And I freelance, I can definitely work anywhere. We'd never be rich, but I think we could make it."

She raised an eyebrow. "We?"

He stopped drawing again, but didn't raise his eyes. "Take me to Japan with you." This time he let his gaze flick upwards to meet hers. "Take me anywhere with you."

She looked over him carefully. He was handsome. He was creative. He was funny. Maybe his ideas of what romance really was were a little off, but she found his love of drama kind of cute. She thought a lot of things about him were cute.

"Yeah," she said. "Okay."

* * *

Makoto called Minako again. She told Minako:

I'm going back to Japan soon. Yes, like really soon, this time. Is it okay if I buy two tickets? No, Minako-chan. Fine, yes, it is a guy. His name is Matthew Mitchell. No, he doesn't speak Japanese. What do you care, you can speak English!

Minako told her:

We told Yuuichirou about us. No, I still don't understand their relationship. Trust me, I know she's ridiculous. Shut up, I have more to tell you. Mamoru got shot. Yeah, he's mostly fine. He'll survive. Then Senator Hino got held hostage and Usagi got shot. Yeah, they're fine. And that magical virus I told you about is spreading like crazy. Yeah, we're immune, apparently. Anyway the most important thing is when Mamoru got shot, the High Priest got whisked away by a guy with shoulder-length white hair. You can stop shrieking, you're killing my ears. No, I didn't get a good look at his eyes. You promise me you'll be back soon? I think we could use some help. Yeah, okay. Bye.

* * *

She found herself back in Tokyo. She remembered the city streets, the prefectures, the familiar buildings towering over everything, the sights and sounds and smells of a city filled with millions of people using lots of technology.

She knew where to go and how to act and could speak with strangers without stuttering like she sometimes still did when speaking English or Portuguese or Mandarin. She knew everything there was to know about Tokyo and that comfortable feeling of knowing everything felt so very wrong.

At least Matthew was having a nice time.

She taught him enough that he could buy groceries and ask for directions to the washroom and then she set off for her next set of investigations. In the time that they had spent in China and Brazil, Matthew had learned not to ask too many questions. He accepted that Makoto would disappear at odd hours and reappear at even odder hours. Whenever he caught her leaving he would always offer only one comment:

"Stay safe."

She decided that instead of breaking and entering into someone's house, she would just stalk the person she was looking for instead. He was some type of big-shot executive – as if she hadn't met enough of those by now – and having just recently returned from a trip abroad he stayed late at the office many nights to catch up on work. Makoto quickly picked up on his schedule and habits and one night when the executive's car was the only one left in the parking lot she transformed into Sailor Jupiter, broke into the backseat, and waited.

The executive finally left work and stepped into the driver's seat.

She waited until she heard the doors lock and then she tapped him on the shoulder.

"Hands where I can see them," she said. She lifted her right hand, curled in a fist, and extended her index and thumb.

She pointed at him and zapped him very lightly.

He twitched and immediately his hands shot up. "Okay, okay. Hands. Where you can see them."

"Do you know who I am?"

"I mean…you _look_ like Sailor Jupiter, but I didn't think she was the type to carjack someone."

"She wasn't, but now she is. I know all about your secret club. Take me to your leader."

He bit his lip. "Um, we kind of have two leaders, and I only know where one of them is."

She sighed. "So, take me to _that_ leader, and along the way explain to me why you have two leaders. Actually, you know what? Tell me everything there is to know about your club."

* * *

He couldn't tell her their names. They had taken magical vows, he said. If they mentioned the names of the leaders, they would die in some unspecified but undoubtedly horrific way. He had to use their pseudonyms. One of them called himself the High Priest. The other called himself nothing in particular. They all just referred to him as 'him', and everyone knew who that referred to. They knew it referred to the man with the white hair, amber eyes, and supernatural powers.

Who were 'they'? They were the Followers. Their group had no name, not anymore. It did have a name, before.

The executive himself hadn't joined until later, but the High Priest had told all the Followers the story. The High Priest was starting his first year at Tokyo University just as two especially popular students, a woman and a man, were graduating. He never got the chance to interact with them, but he had heard plenty about them and had felt a special affinity with one of them, with the young woman. He joined her fanclub. Most of her fanclub supported the Sailor Senshi after the warehouse affair. Some of the members didn't. It was clear that the young woman strongly supported the Sailor Senshi, so the High Priest felt the need to do so as well. He held speeches and rallies supporting them. He convinced most of the still-reluctant members to change their minds.

Those who didn't change their minds he expelled from the club, after he became president in his second year. In his second year he also found out that the other popular student, the young man, strongly supported the Senshi, as did his fanclub. The High Priest decided it would be more efficient to just combine the two clubs. The merged club was still a fanclub but had now also become a pro-Senshi group.

In his third year the High Priest decided to expand operations. He helped some graduates start a pro-Senshi alumni association. The High Priest was the de facto leader of that club, too, even though he hadn't graduated yet. Both the undergraduate and alumni clubs were utterly devoted to the Senshi, were their strongest defenders. And since they were Tokyo University-based clubs, of course most of the members were in high positions in society. They had no qualms about exerting their power to garner more support for the Senshi, though it was very difficult. They published a lot of propaganda, made statements to the media, raised international attention.

Then, in the High Priest's fourth year, _he_ came. He told the High Priest that he could help them help the Senshi. The High Priest agreed to let him take control of his pro-Senshi organization. In exchange, the High Priest gained powers. He told the High Priest to train the organization's members in all types of martial arts. Some of the members were resistant at first. No one wanted to be a glorified thug. But eventually they gave in, since he was so very charismatic and his promises were sincere.

The High Priest graduated. The High Priest got hired by the young woman whose fanclub he had been president of. Soon after, he directed the High Priest to start attacks on the general population. The Senshi would undoubtedly respond and media attention would turn positive. And he was right! He really did it. He really helped them.

"Can you tell me the names of those popular students?" Sailor Jupiter asked, something itching at the back of her mind.

"Certainly. Their names are Hino Rei and Kumada Yuuichirou."

Sailor Jupiter could not hold back the string of curses that escaped her mouth. She had the sinking feeling that she would have to be the one to break the news to Rei that her university fanclub had turned into some kind of crazed pro-Senshi cult.

"Where are you taking me to now?"

"You picked the right day to carjack me. There's a meeting of our club today, actually. The High Priest will definitely be there. He's taken some actions that might have displeased _him_, though, so he'll probably make an appearance, too."

_Now_

So this was it. This was where all her investigations had led her to. Here she might find the man with shoulder-length white hair and amber eyes, and then she'd find out why he had wanted that warehouse to collapse.

The executive had dropped her off very near the cave mouth entrance. They were the first ones there, if the lack of other cars was any sign. She made him swear not to tell anyone that she was there, and then sought a hiding place, high up in the trees. She watched as cars pulled up and men and women in business suits entered the cave. These well-dressed people made a strange sight out here in the semi-wilderness.

She sat in the shadows for a while longer, debating going in without back up.

A car pulled up nearby. It was a rather nice, new-looking convertible. Sailor Jupiter watched carefully as the doors opened, determined to memorize what these new suspects would look like. A man emerged from the passenger side. He looked like any average salaryman. Then another man emerged from the driver's side. Wait. Was that…Yuuichirou? This man looked polished and powerful, nothing like the slacker she had last seen just a few years ago. But the brown hair and strong facial features convinced her that the man standing just a few metres away from her was indeed Kumada Yuuichirou. He entered the cave, a few steps behind the other man.

This definitely called for backup. She pulled out her communicator. She needed someone with brains to put all the evidence together and to strategize a plan of attack. She hit a button.

"Sailor Jupiter?" Ami's astonished expression made Sailor Jupiter smile a bit.

"I need some backup. Can you track my location?"

"Yes, but…what are you doing back? When did you get back? Why do you need backup?"

"Too many questions, Ami-chan. Just come. It's not an emergency, I just need a little help with some planning."

"Alright," she said, stretching the word out, sounding still very unsure, "I'll be there in about an hour."

"Thanks, Ami-chan."

Could she wait an hour? She fidgeted uncomfortably. If she went in alone, who knew what kind of damage she'd end up dishing out?

Half an hour later she had pulled off nearly every leaf from the tree branch she was sitting on when she heard a rustle below her. Her eyes widened. Sailors Venus and Mars were walking through the tall grass, engaged in quiet discussion. Sailor Venus pointed at Yuuichirou's car. Jupiter's heart warmed as she saw Sailor Mars' patented glare. The pair stopped a few feet away, hiding behind the trunk of another nearby tree. They were closer, now, and Jupiter could hear Mars' voice, floating up to her:

"Maybe he's not in the cave. Let's scout out the area and make sure."

She had to be talking about Yuuichirou. Jupiter decided to spare them the trouble. She jumped down from the tree, landing silently behind the two women.

"No, he's definitely in that cave," she said.

She probably shouldn't have, but Jupiter couldn't help but laugh when Mars jumped about a foot in the air at the sound of her voice.

"Mako-chan?!"

* * *

AN: Thank you **Black Gekikara**. I might not have made it clear enough – the Senshi are supposed to be in their early twenties in the prologue (Usagi is late for one of her classes at university). Thanks **Gear001, Neanda** and **Bin82501**. **Mystra32**, now I understand what you mean! As you can see, Makoto's still with the good guys, for now.

I realize the timeline might be getting very unwieldy by now! There might be some kinks to work out in editing, but allow me to provide a rough one, by the Inner Senshi's ages:

18: The girls enter university. Rei and Yuuichirou's fan clubs are founded.

22: The warehouse collapses, killing the salaryman.

Rei, Usagi, and Yuuichirou graduate.

Rei takes her father's deal and gets hired by Kobayashi Corp.

Watanabe (Rei's assistant), alias the High Priest, starts university, joins Rei's fanclub.

Makoto goes to Europe to investigate the warehouse collapse.

Rei regains her powers, learns panic attack management.

23: Usagi and Mamoru get married.

Watanabe becomes president of Rei's fanclub, consolidates it with Yuuichirou's, and turns it into a pro-Senshi organization.

Makoto goes to China.

24: ChibiUsa is born.

Ami graduates (two extra years due to med school).

Watanabe expands operations.

25: The white-haired man gives Watanabe powers and takes over the organization.

Makoto (still in China) finds that a Brazil-based company has started printing pro-Senshi material.

26: Watanabe graduates, gets hired by Rei.

Makoto goes to Brazil and investigates. Regains her powers.

Mamoru and Usagi get divorced.

27: PRESENT TIME. The High Priest starts his attacks, the Kill Hamilton virus spreads, and Makoto returns.


	12. Demons

AN: A very action filled chapter.

A summary of the first seven chapters can be found in chapter eight; chapters eight and nine are summarized in chapter ten.

CHAPTER TEN SUMMARY

Makoto returns to Tokyo for Usagi and Mamoru's wedding. Usagi refuses the Senshi's oaths of loyalty. She and Rei get into an argument. Makoto departs to China where she finds out about the existence of a pro-Senshi organization/business. She goes to Brazil to find one of the company's executives and questions him. She returns to Japan and gets another executive to tell her the organization's history and to lead her to the organization's hideout. She runs in Sailor Mars and Sailor Venus.

**CHAPTER ELEVEN**

_Now_

"That is correct," Sailor Jupiter said. Mars and Venus were raking their eyes over Jupiter's figure, trying to take in her appearance after nearly four years of not having seen her. If anything, she looked stronger now, more muscular than ever, and the lines on her face gave her a look of experience that they never thought they would see on their eternally-optimistic friend's face.

The two stood speechless for a long moment.

Jupiter smiled. "It's nice to see you guys, too. I've got quite a few stories to tell, but I'll just get straight to the important parts. First, I've got my powers back. Second, there's this huge, world-spanning pro-Senshi organization, and it's all being bankrolled by a white-haired man with amber eyes. Looks like the same guy who paid the company off to make the warehouse structurally unstable also has a pro-Senshi agenda. As for the High Priest…" Jupiter took in a deep breath. "Mars, I don't know how to break this to you."

For a moment, Sailor Jupiter's return had seemed like a herald of a change in luck. Regaining their overly-determined, powerhouse of a friend could only be good news. But after having her father be held hostage, seeing Mamoru get shot, and then getting shot in the leg by maniacs trying to kill them, at the back of her mind she had expected more bad news.

So she shrugged. Jupiter took it as a sign to continue. "Someone who works for you calls himself the High Priest, and he's kind of the head of this organization. And about the organization – it started its life out as your fanclub."

Sailor Mars barked out a short laugh. "Of course. The universe really, truly hates me. I think it's about time we shut down our number one fan."

"I called Ami for backup. I don't know when she'll get here, though."

The two glanced at Sailor Venus. She pressed her mouth into a thin line. "I think Mamoru is probably in there, and I know that Yuuichirou is. We can't waste time, but let's be careful."

They silently made their way into the cave, creeping down the caverns, never splitting up even when they came to forks in the path. They followed the flickers of light and any sounds they could hear. As they drew closer the sound of conversation grew louder, and finally they found the meeting place. A large cavern was filled with people. They were all dressed in suits and skirts and other office wear. Even the High Priest was still wearing his suit. He was at the front of the crowd, standing on an upraised platform. Sailor Mars's eyes widened and she grabbed Sailor Venus's arm. Sailor Venus nodded. She had recognized him, too. He was not just 'someone who worked for her'. He was her personal assistant, Watanabe Hiroshi. Next to him stood Yuuichirou, looking distinctly uncomfortable with his wrists and ankles bound by ropes. Behind them both was a type of bed with a glass enclosure on top of it. On the bed lay Mamoru, unconscious, still dressed in his Tuxedo Mask costume.

The Senshi skirted against the wall and drew a little closer to the gathering. The murmurs of conversation separated into distinct words, and they heard snatches of what the Followers were saying.

"We should just kill him" "How could he invite a new member without consulting us" "I wonder if _he_ knows about this" "The High Priest knows best, don't worry"

All conversation stopped when Watanabe took the podium and slammed the gavel.

"Followers. Nay. Friends. Today, I have two very important new items of business to bring forward. First, the plan to lure the Senshi into an ambush. Any suggestions for how to go about it?"

A man near the front raised his hand. "Motion to take civilians hostage once again and hand-deliver a letter with a time and place."

"All in favour? All opposed? The motion passes unanimously. Second item of business. I spoke with some of you regarding this matter, but I failed to heed the wise advice I received. I had great hopes that Kumada-san would join us, but seeing Tuxedo Kamen in this state has most displeased him, and hearing of our plans to kill the Senshi has displeased him even more. He has refused our offer, and now I fear he may pass on our location and membership to non-affiliated law enforcement organizations, perhaps even to the Senshi. Any suggestions for how to deal with this?"

A woman standing close to the Senshi raised her hand. "If I may. Kumada-san, we have no plans to kill Tuxedo Kamen. As for the Senshi, can we not convince you that this world is undeserving of them?"

"I don't need to be convinced of that," Yuuichirou said. "But I'll never be convinced of the need to kill them."

The woman sighed. "High Priest, Followers. If it is at all possible, I'd prefer not to kill Kumada-san. Hino-san is already such a bitch in the boardroom, I'd hate to see her if her boyfriend gets murdered."

Sailor Mars grit her teeth and clenched her hands into fists. That woman was her director of operations. She was so fired.

The High Priest cleared his throat. "I would also prefer to avoid causing my employer suffering, but I don't see any other choice. Anyone?"

The crowd stayed silent. The High Priest grimaced. "Sorry, Kumada-san." He reached into his suit's inner pocket, pulled out a gun, took off the safety and pointed it at Yuuichirou.

The gun flew out of his hands as a streak of fire blasted it away.

"Did you forget that Yuuichirou-kun is one of my longtime best friends?"

Sailor Mars stood at the opposite end of the crowd, right hand outstretched with palm facing outwards, her other hand in a fist by her side.

"On the contrary, Sailor Mars," the High Priest said, pulling another gun from thin air and training it on her, "I had hoped you would come to his rescue. Fire!"

Sailor Mars barely dodged the hail of bullets, leaping to the side just in time. She ran along the cave wall, staying just ahead of the bullets chasing her, until she finally reached the platform. With a flame at the tip of her finger she cut Yuuichirou's ropes and shoved him aside just in time as bullets hit the glass behind him. The glass split everywhere, cracking into bits. She leapt forwards as it shattered under the assault. With a cartwheel she reached the High Priest and smashed her fist into his face before a bullet found space between her ribs. She collapsed forwards, and landed painfully onto the hard stone.

Sailor Jupiter had leapt into action right after the High Priest had told his Followers to open fire. She tried her best to cover Sailor Mars's forward trajectory. Sailor Jupiter launched herself into the crowd, her knees and elbows smashing brutally against bones and vital organs, hands wresting guns away, twisting the barrels until the firearms were useless. She reached the front of the crowd right when Sailor Mars had freed Yuuichirou. He flailed forward, stumbling over the edge of the platform. Sailor Jupiter caught him and set him back upright.

"Stay behind me at all times."

She turned once again towards the crowd, who had begun to close in on her, but most of them were now without projectile weapons, forced to use knives whose cuts Sailor Jupiter easily weathered.

Sailor Venus had watched for a moment after Sailors Mars and Jupiter had started fighting, taking in the scene. Her role was clear after a few moments. "Venus Love-Me Chain!" The chain sped out of her hands and smashed aside gun after gun, burning the Followers hands as metal scraped against skin. She had succeeded in disarming many of them when she noticed Sailor Mars collapsing on the platform. The High Priest crouched down in front of her, a knife raised in the air, ready to strike down.

"Venus Love and Beauty Shock!" The knife flew out of the High Priest's hands as the laser smashed against the blade. Sailor Venus leapt forward, reaching the platform before the High Priest could recover from the surprise, and with her final leap she delivered a kick to his torso that sent him reeling backwards.

Sailor Mars pushed herself onto her knees and winced at the burning pain of the object lodged in her ribs. She gasped for breath. She fully intended to stay down, but some of the Followers had given up on fighting Sailor Jupiter and were now heading for the platform, their eyes fixed on Tuxedo Kamen. She got to her feet.

"You're not supposed to kill him."

"We don't need him alive to set a trap for the rest of your friends." They rushed forwards, knives in hand. Sailor Mars grunted and launched her fist forward. It connected with someone's windpipe; her knee connected with someone else's solar plexus; a knife slashed her stomach, but none had yet to pierce her, unlike Sailor Jupiter, who just below the platform was bleeding profusely but still fighting valiantly.

Sailor Mars tore her eyes away from Sailor Jupiter's battered body and returned her attentions to her opponents, who were pressing forward, and now they were surrounding her, and there was no way she was going to let Tuxedo Mask die. She leaped backwards, over the bed, hefted his body over her shoulder, and with her free hand she created a circle of fire around her, the flames rising to a dangerously high temperature, so high that even she broke into a sweat, and she worried that Tuxedo Mask wouldn't be able to take it, but she had no other choice. She didn't think she did, anyway, until she heard a shot followed by a scream that meant Sailor Venus had been hit. She lay Tuxedo Mask down in the circle of fire, hoping that it could sustain itself for a little while, and jumped through it, ignoring how her skirt and bodice caught fire.

Sailor Mars spared a glance at Sailor Jupiter. She had managed to stay upright but was now down to using wave after wave of electricity to keep the attackers away and was obviously wearing down. Yuuichirou, still standing behind her, had obviously taken down his share of attackers, his clothes ripped and his knuckles split open, bleeding.

Sailor Venus was the more pressing concern. She was on the ground, trying to get up, but failing as she slipped on a puddle of her own blood. The High Priest lunged forward, a knife in his hand. Sailor Mars was quick to tackle him before the blade could pierce Sailor Venus's heart. They landed heavily on the ground. Sailor Mars grabbed his wrists and let her hands catch fire. He screamed in agony as his skin began to burn, but he was not one to lay helpless. His forehead flew upwards, smashing against Sailor Mar's nose. She heard a crack and felt a rush of nausea and she spared a moment for vanity, hoping her nose could be set straight again, before she threw up onto his chest. He jumped upwards, disgusted. She kept dry heaving. He took the opportunity to kick her in the windpipe. She grabbed her throat and felt like she was suffocating. Her vision began to swim. Black spots filled her field of view. She glanced upwards just in time to see a knife coming down. She thought it was very unlikely Sailor Venus would save her this time.

A tiara knocked the knife out of his hands. Sailor Mars had recovered her breath enough to catch sight of Sailor Moon and Sailor Mercury, standing at the opposite end of the cavern.

The two latecomers gasped in horror at the sight of their friends, bleeding and near death. Sailor Moon's eyes further widened when she saw the column of fire swirling in one corner of the cave, with a body being protected by the fire, bullets melting when they tried to shoot through the flames.

"Sailor Moon. Sailor Mercury. Your friends will be dead soon. Do join them."

Columns of ice broke through the crowd of Followers, shooting towards the High Priest, blast after blast freezing on impact as they smashed against the cavern walls. He ran forwards, avoiding the blasts, but he could not avoid them for long as Sailor Venus hit him with an energy blast that propelled him right into the path of one of the columns of ice. He went reeling backwards and was frozen against the wall in a moment.

At the sight of their leader immobilized, the Followers stood still, stopping their assault.

For just a moment. "Keep fighting, dammit," he cried out, struggling to free himself. The Followers split, half pressing forward to try to finish off Sailors Jupiter, Venus, and Mars, the other half heading back to start their takedown of Sailors Moon and Mercury.

Those who had the intention of fighting the newcomers quickly realized their mistake when two more figures emerged from the shadows. Their eyes trailed over the sight of their battered fellow warriors. They exchanged a cool look.

"We should have come sooner."

"Why are our mistakes always so costly? I think we can skip the introductions."

"I agree. WORLD SHAKING!"

"DEEP SUBMERGE!"

A dozen Followers were knocked off their feet in a moment, followed by a dozen more as Sailors Uranus and Neptune unleashed another barrage of attacks.

Seeing two of their strongest allies come to their help lifted Sailor Venus's spirits considerably. She hauled Sailor Mars back to her feet and the pair, along with Sailor Jupiter, began to fight back, taking the offensive as the numbers of Followers who could still fight dwindled.

The battle came to a halt when a man with white hair appeared floating in the middle of the cavern, over the tops of the heads of the fighters.

"Followers, cease fighting immediately and drop your weapons," he said.

The Followers froze in place, knives and guns clattering against the ground. The Sailor Senshi likewise stopped.

"Sailor Senshi. I appreciate your unwillingness to engage noncombatant humans, even though they were attempting to kill you mere moments before. You are an admirable, if often impractical, lot."

He descended until his feet touched the ground. Still he seemed to fairly float as he glided towards the pillar of fire still blazing in the corner. He touched it. It died immediately. His gaze roved over Tuxedo Kamen's unconscious form. He shook his head.

"I am Lord Hamilton, of House Massalia. I am the ruler-in-exile of a planet far distant from your solar system." He bowed. "My deepest apologies. I did not mean for this to happen. Nor did I authorize it." At this he sharply glared at the High Priest, who flinched. He was shivering. "Unfortunately, I left the planet for a little while, and I have now returned to this betrayal. Killing the Sailor Senshi! That is the exact opposite of what I commissioned you for. What were you thinking?"

The High Priest tried to stutter out an explanation, but clamped his mouth shut when Lord Hamilton reached forward. He touched the ice that had frozen Watanabe against the wall and it disappeared after a moment. Watanabe stumbled forward. Hamilton kicked him in the back of the knees and he fell onto the ground. He leaned downwards and grabbed the fallen man's head with both his hands. Watanabe began to whimper.

"Don't kill him," Sailor Mars said, her voice and hands equally steady. She had drawn her bow and the arrow was pointed directly at him. He glanced sideways.

"Sailor Mars. This man tried to kill you and your friends multiple times. Why should I not?"

"As a favor to me," she said, eyes trained on her target.

"I cannot have a faction constantly trying to kill you, my greatest potential allies." Lord Hamilton produced a knife from thin air and held it against Watanabe's throat.

Sailor Mars let the arrow fly. He raised one hand and waved. The arrow disappeared in mid air. He slit Watanabe's throat.

At Sailor Mars's horrified expression, Hamilton scrunched his eyebrows together. "I may have made a mistake. I do apologize. I had wished to speak with you regarding an important matter, but now may not be the best time. Followers, clear out. Do not harm these women or their friends any longer."

He disappeared. Sailor Mars ran towards Watanabe and dropped to her knees by her side. The gash that ran across his throat was deep and bleeding bright red. Sailor Mercury arrived at his side a moment later, but the depth of the injury and his lifeless eyes told her all she needed to know without even having to feel for a pulse. Sailor Mars looked at her with wide eyes. Sailor Mercury shook her head.

"I'm sorry. He's dead."

"No. No, no," she said. "Dammit, dammit, dammit…"

She felt her throat tighten and her vision grow darker. Something hard hit her in the back of the head. She blacked out. Sailor Jupiter shrugged at the others' questioning stares. "Did you want to see that whole struggle start up again?"

Sailor Venus dropped to her knees and held her stomach, gasping. "We need medical attention. Right now. But what are we going to do with the body?"

Sailor Mercury leaned over Watanabe and pushed his eyelids closed. "We have to let the police know he was murdered. Disappearance cases place long-term stress on friends and family due to lack of closure."

Sailor Jupiter was ripping off strips of her fuku and had already set about bandaging her wounds. "So we can just tip the cops off to this place," she suggested.

Sailor Venus shook her head. "Absolutely not. Look at all the footprints and the glass casket and the battle damage. They'll know there was some cult-like activity and they'll suspect that we were here. I don't even want to think about how that investigation will turn out."

"Then let's grab his body, dump it somewhere else, and tip the cops off to that location."

Sailor Venus shook her head yet again. "His clothes will have sedimentary evidence and our DNA is all over him. Unless anyone's willing to strip him, disinfect his body to get rid of our blood and cut off his hands and feet to get rid of those Sailor Mars wrist injuries and whatever skin he caught under his nails."

"Long-term stress it is, then," Sailor Uranus declared. She hoisted the man up in her arms. "Sailor Neptune and I will make this body disappear."

* * *

"Are they going to be okay?" Hotaru leaned forward in her chair, casting an anxious glance towards the beds and their occupants. Ami had called an emergency meeting of the Senshi, and had emphasized the importance of having everyone in attendance. She was, in other words, calling in the big guns. Setsuna sat beside Hotaru. The pair looked uneasy, knowing that when their presence were required, things were not looking good.

Usagi sat in a chair in the middle of the room and was flanked by Michiru and Haruka. Ami sat in a chair facing them. The others were lying in the beds. Rei was covered in bandages and stitches. Ami had fixed her nose and set it with a cast. Beside her lay Yuuichirou, who had suffered only minor wounds. He too was asleep, and was cradling Rei. The bed to her right was occupied by Mamoru, wrapped in bandages to protect his skin. He had suffered numerous but minor burns. The bed to her left was occupied by Makoto, who was clearly exhausted. She was awake, but did not have the energy to pull herself upright. She lay staring at the ceiling. She had suffered a broken arm and heavy blood loss. Ami had disinfected the wounds, and set up a blood transfusion, and thanked her lucky stars that no organs had failed.

Minako occupied the last bed, to Makoto's left. Her right leg had suffered heavy damage with multiple broken bones and the bullet that had caught her in the stomach had caused internal bleeding. She had been sent to the hospital and had made her escape soon thereafter against the advice of both the doctors and Ami. She was not about to miss a team meeting of such urgency.

"Physically, yes," Ami answered. She leaned back in her chair and covered her face with her hands. She wished she had shown up just a little bit earlier. Even the few minutes that it took to contact Usagi might have spared her three friends some of them beating they had taken. If only she had known what Minako and Rei were up to. If only she had watched the GPS tracker more carefully.

"So we've got a few problems," Minako said. "Number one, three of us plus Tuxedo Mask are out of commission for the time being."

"Number two, an alien killed a man in front of our eyes, made a warehouse collapse so that we ended up killing a man, and now wants to be our ally," Usagi added.

"But at least we've solved one mystery." Ami leaned forward again and went through manila folders that were stacked a foot high on a nearby desk. They were all neatly labeled with the words PROJECT HAMILTON in black marker across the front. "We know who those people want to kill. Dr. Suzuki and I haven't gotten very far in determining the nature of the virus, except we know that not only is it magical, it is also extraterrestrial." She stood up, grabbed a marker, and began writing on the whiteboard facing the beds. "Extraterrestrial virus. Greatest allies. Ruler-in-exile." She replaced the cap on the marker and tapped it against her lips for a few moments, before turning around to face her audience once again. Setsuna, Haruka, and Michiru, who were sitting next to Hotaru, had already put it all together, if their worried frowns were any indication. "I suspect we are dealing not with one murderous alien, but two, and the second one is likely far stronger than the first, a world conqueror with a vendetta, perhaps. If the second alien is on Hamilton's trail, then planet Earth has a problem."

* * *

A month passed without major incident. Some of those infected with the Kill Hamilton virus occasionally caused a stir. Some of the Followers would cause problems at times. Both the infected and the Followers were easily stopped. With most of their forces inactive, Sailors Neptune, Uranus, Saturn and Pluto had agreed to help on patrols, a mundane task they would normally leave to their less experienced comrades. Ami thought that Rei and Minako had been brutal and efficient in the past few years, but their recent violence paled in comparison to that of the outer Senshi. She wondered how Makoto would act when she was once again fit for battle. The thought worried her.

She was the first to return to active duty, having slept fourteen hours a day for nearly a month to recover from the exhaustion of fighting back the horde of Followers in the cave. She embarked on a training routine that surpassed all her previous physical efforts, and was joined by Minako and Rei as soon as they had recovered. Ami urged them to be more careful. They listened, but barely. When they returned to battle they vied against the outers for the greatest number of casualties.

"I don't like this," Usagi said, after a skirmish against twenty followers had ended with twenty broken limbs, all in under two minutes. "They're supposed to be…nicer."

Ami shook her head. "'Nice' is what you're here for."

Another month passed. Makoto worked as a freelance assistant. Rei hired a new assistant, a shrine maiden named Shizuka. Ami continued her work at the hospital, but spent hours with Dr. Suzuki, trying to unravel the mystery of the magical virus. Urawa tended to spend his evenings in the lab with them, helping with minor tasks.

"I'm sorry I haven't had time for dates lately," Ami said one night, after Dr. Suzuki had left for the evening. Their whole relationship had been like this, more or less, with Ami constantly occupied. She felt bad about it, but Urawa had stuck by her side for years now, never complaining.

"Ami, I think you might have guessed already, or maybe one of your other friends has felt it, but…I have this feeling. The feeling that something big is coming. Soon. Very, very soon."

Ami turned and frowned. Michiru, Rei, Setsuna and Mamoru had all been more evasive than usual, which Ami by now knew to take as a sign of impending danger. "How soon?" If Urawa was feeling it, then…

He bit his lip. "Now. Pretty much."

Ami stood still, silent. A minute passed.

She heard a deep rumbling sound. A moment later the building shook and bits of the ceiling began to fall. She shoved her communicator into Urawa's hands, grabbed her transformation pen, and began running. She pushed through the emergency exit, which actually did have a working alarm and which began to sound immediately. Once in the stair case she quickly transformed. She had just finished when a security guard burst through the door.

"Sailor Mercury?"

"Evacuate everyone from this building." He stood still, mouth hanging open in shock. "Now," she barked. It galvanized the man into action. He departed and Sailor Mercury rushed up the stairs, bursting onto the rooftop. There was a giant hole in the east wing of the hospital. The east wing housed most of the patients who were infected with the Kill Hamilton virus. Sailor Mercury ran towards the destruction. Tuxedo Mask appeared beside her.

"I've called Search and Rescue," he said. "We need to lead the attacker away."

Sailor Mercury nodded. They arrived at the site of the damage. The wing was caved in, bricks and mortar spilling everywhere, meter-high piles of rubble where rooms had once been. An arm stuck out from the wreckage at an unnatural angle. Sailor Mercury's first instinct was to go rescue the person despite what Tuxedo Mask had just said, but she suppressed her instinct when a beam of energy went flying towards her. She ducked just in time, losing a good inch of her hair. She rolled away as soon as she hit the ground, more blasts smashing into the ground where she had been a second before. She got to her feet and leapt backwards, avoiding one more blast, and landed on a tall pile of rubble. The uneven surface made her lose her footing and she stumbled backwards, landing on the ground once again in a daze.

Tuxedo Mask swooped in, scooping her up in his arms and dashing forwards as another energy blast destroyed the wall behind them. He dropped her back to her feet and she immediately pushed him aside as another blast swept by them.

The blasts stopped. She managed to catch her breath after a few seconds and looked around until she spotted Sailor Jupiter. She was dodging blast after blast, but obviously had a specific target in mind, her somersaults and leaps getting her ever closer to a woman who was standing some ways away. The woman had tanned skin, amber eyes, and long white hair that reached her lower back. She wore a black dress. Sailor Mercury frowned, racked her mind for a second, and realized this woman reminded her far too much of Lord Hamilton for it to be a coincidence.

The woman had her right-hand palm outstretched, releasing blast after blast of energy. Sailor Jupiter finally reached the woman and grabbed her wrists.

"Stop," she said.

The woman laughed and started to glow. Sailor Jupiter let go immediately, her palms now a bright red, smoke rising from them.

"What the f-"

The woman kicked Sailor Jupiter in the stomach and she went flying twenty meters backwards until she hit a tree. She slumped downwards, still conscious but in too much pain from the impact to move.

By this point Sailor Mercury had made her move, her attack powered up. She let it fly and it hit the woman full blast, encasing her entirely in a block of ice. Tuxedo Mask approached her, cane ready to strike in case she managed to free herself.

She did. In one great blast the entire block of ice blew up, thousands of chunks flying in every direction. One hit Tuxedo Mask squarely in the chest, and the moment he stumbled the woman was on him. An uppercut to his chin sent him flying upwards. He did not land until a few seconds later when he hit the ground. He managed to land on his feet, but the impact made his knees buckle and he fell forward.

Sailor Jupiter was back on her feet, however, and she sent a blast of electricity flying toward the woman. The woman held her palms out again and a translucent wall appeared. Sailor Jupiter's blast dissipated as soon as it hit the wall, but she continued, relentless, sending blast after blast until the woman was forced to take a few steps backwards.

Sailors Uranus and Neptune, standing in the shadows on either side of the woman, had been waiting for such a moment of inattention. They attacked, their devastating power hitting the woman at the same time, the energy exploding upwards and outwards, sending up a cloud of dust from the ground below that had just gotten obliterated.

The dust cloud cleared. The woman was standing in the middle of it, unharmed. She frowned.

"I had honestly expected your attacks to have more power behind them," she called out. She strode forward, approaching Sailor Jupiter, who looked frozen in place. "But that didn't even hurt."

Sailor Jupiter steeled herself. "Supreme Thunder Dragon!" The undulating wave hit the woman in the chest. Sailor Jupiter kept the attack up, but the woman continued to walk forward until she had reached Sailor Jupiter. She grabbed her by the throat and hoisted her upwards.

She began squeezing.

Sailor Jupiter grabbed frantically at her hands, trying to pull them away from her throat, but the woman's grip was solid.

A golden chain wrapped around the woman, and pulled her arms in to her torso. It forced her to let go of Sailor Jupiter, who fell to the ground, gasping. The chain pulled the woman backwards and she fell to the ground. Fire rained down from above her, engulfing her completely, smoke rising up everywhere. Sailor Mars and Sailor Venus exchanged a tense glance. They had watched their friends' attacks fail and now hoped that cutting off the woman's oxygen would work. Sailor Mars kept the barrage of fire up for a good ten minutes. By this time, a crowd had gathered nearby, and all of Sailors Neptune and Uranus's shouting had done nothing to make them disperse. They gawked at the scene: Sailor Venus on one end of the grounds, holding on tightly to a chain; Sailor Mars on the other end, shouting out attack after attack. She began to sweat, her breathing became labored, she felt her blood start to boil, but she pushed past the exhaustion and continued on, longer and longer, the whole clearing filled with smoke. With a movement Sailor Uranus pushed the wind so that the smoke concentrated around where the woman was trapped. Eventually Sailor Mars was forced to stop, pitching forward as she collapsed.

The smoke began to clear.

The woman looked unharmed. She forced a cough.

"I'm glad Lord Hamilton led me here. This planet will be easy to conquer."

She took in a deep breath. Sailor Venus's chain disappeared. She got to her feet and brushed the dirt off her legs.

"Sailor Venus, correct? I thought you Sailor Senshi were supposed to be Earth's greatest warriors. Or something like that."

Sailor Venus growled. "We are. You just haven't met our strongest members yet."

"Ah, yes. Sailor Pluto. Sailor Saturn. Sailor Moon. Powers over time, over life and death, and…something ill-defined." She shrugged. "Where are they, then?"

"Rainbow Moon Heart Ache!"

It caught the woman full blast and she winced, but the attack seemed to simply wash over her after a moment. She frowned as Sailor Moon stepped forward, fully outfitted. To her right stood Sailor Pluto, her lips pressed tightly together. To her left stood Sailor Saturn, knuckles white against her glaive.

"Dead Scream."

The woman screamed as the blast hit her. With great effort she pushed against the attack until it exploded outwards and away from her. "Okay," she said, gritting her teeth, "That hurt a bit. However," here she starting floating upwards until she was hovering a few feet in the air, "I feel like Sailor Saturn's attacks would hurt a lot. I could kill her, but that would mean a lot of pain. And I am not a fan of pain." She paused. "My pain, I mean. Other people's is fine."

She peered upwards into the sky, then returned her attentions to the Senshi. "First of all, those people in the hospital. They're mine now. My warriors. I will be taking them. Second of all, I would probably be much kinder to this planet if you would hand Lord Hamilton over to me. Third-"

A figure was streaking through the sky, dropping downwards at an alarming rate. The Senshi's gazes moved upwards just a bit. The woman noticed, and looked up, just in time for the figure to smash into her and send her flying to the ground. She hit the ground hard, the shockwaves forming a crater around her landing site.

"Lady Accra. I will not allow you to harm my allies any longer." He floated over her and stretched his hand out. Blast after blast of energy hit the woman but with a grunt she got to her feet and flew towards him, past the blasts, until her fist stuck his chin. His head snapped back and she kicked forward, sending him tumbling end over end through the air until he managed to bring himself to a stop. He spread his feet apart and crouched.

"You don't want to fight me."

"Who's the one who doesn't want to fight? Did you forget what happened last time?"

Hamilton screamed and flew towards her. Accra erected a wall and he smacked right into it. He held his nose as it began to pour blood.

"Still with the old leap before you look method, hmm?" Hamilton narrowed his eyes and flew backwards, releasing blast after blast. Accra waved and they disappeared in midair before they could even reach her. She stretched her hand out again and he glowed for a moment. He screamed in agony and blindly rushed forward. She laughed and another wall appeared. He smacked his head straight against it again and he groaned and clutched at his hand. Accra rushed forwards and kicked him in the kneecaps. The sound of two loud crunches and they had obviously shattered. He screamed some more and let his fist fly forward, finally managing to land a hit as it glanced against her eye. She growled and put more distance between them before letting her own barrage of energy blasts fly towards him.

Sailor Moon had been watching carefully. Now she signaled the Senshi and they drew close to her. "We have to get those two away from here." She gestured towards the crowd of onlookers and the rescue workers who were digging through the rubble while casting occasional fearful glances towards the two fighters.

Sailor Saturn lifted her glaive. "I will lead Lady Accra away." She turned toward the battlefield and carefully waited for an opportunity. Lady Accra clearly overpowered Lord Hamilton. His suit was shred to pieces; her dress looked barely touched. He was gasping for air; she had the same calm expression on her face. They hovered in the air for a moment. Hamilton slowly let himself fall downwards until his feet touched the ground. Accra's eyes widened and she broke into a grin.

"Big mistake."

The earth began to rumble under their feet. A great chunk the ground broke away and flew upwards, then down again as Accra directed it toward Hamilton. The impact made him collapse and he was quickly getting buried in the earth.

Sailor Saturn could not quite get a good shot on her as Accra flew towards the uprooted ground and fished Hamilton out of it. She dragged him up by the collar.

"Good for nothing," she hissed, and slapped him across the face.

Sailor Saturn decided that she could only hesitate for so long. She took aim.

"Death Reborn Revolution!" A mass of ribbons wrapped around the pair and they both began to scream as the ribbons slashed into their skin and pulled their power away. Accra let go of Hamilton and clapped her hands together.

She, along with all the patients infected with the Kill Hamilton virus, disappeared.

Sailor Saturn let her glaive fall from her hands and the attack stopped. Hamilton landed on the ground with a heavy thud. The Sailor Senshi rushed over to him. He was struggling to breathe.

"She'll kill us all," he gasped out. "Fight with me. I'll give you greater powers and together, we can take her down."

Sailor Jupiter growled and kicked him in the ribs. He cried out and curled up, drawing his knees up to his chest. Sailor Moon glared at Sailor Jupiter, but Sailor Jupiter was unapologetic.

"Why did you set that warehouse up to collapse?"

His eyes shot open. "How did you know?"

Sailor Jupiter kicked him again. "Answer."

"I wanted you to trust me. I tore you down, and I built you up again. I sent that monster to that warehouse. I made sure that man was there. Then I bided my time until I found that group. I made the Followers attack random citizens so you'd swoop in to save them and look good." He coughed and spat up blood. "I thought you'd join me if you thought you owed me a debt. I was wrong. I'm sorry." He finally caught his breath and uncurled.

"Disgusting," Sailor Mars said. She kicked him in the ribs and he curled up again.

"Maybe so." He coughed up blood. "But neither you nor I alone can take down Lady Accra."

* * *

Sailor Jupiter decided to fight alongside Lord Hamilton. Sometimes, she said, we have to do things that aren't quite right, to get the results we want.

Sailor Uranus sided with her.

To everyone's surprise, Sailor Neptune opted not to join them. She declared that she would go with a wait-and-see approach. Perhaps not all was at it seemed. Sailor Venus agreed with her.

Sailor Pluto and Sailor Saturn vaguely promised to be where they were needed.

Of Sailor Mars and Tuxedo Mask, there was no question that they would stay by Sailor Moon's side. Sailor Moon had opted not to fight side-by-side a Lord Hamilton, who she dubbed a callous murderer.

The only person who had yet to declare a decision was Sailor Mercury. Her eyebrows shot up in surprise when she was faced with expectant looks.

"I believe that Sailors Venus and Neptune are taking the more prudent course," she said. "However. Sailor Moon, don't forget who was the first to fight by your side."

* * *

_Then_

Divorce.

The word ran through Ami's mind over and over that day, after that call she had received from Usagi. Divorce. A marriage dissolved. Something just did not work. What was it? Personalities? Surely not. Values? Far from it. It just didn't work out, she had said. Lately, Usagi had been vague with her words. The non-specificity grated. Divorce. Mamoru would certainly be a good parent to Usagi Jr. He would definitely not be the 'send a postcard on your birthday' type of father. Usagi got custody, of course, but she had agreed to let Mamoru visit whenever he wanted and Mamoru had agreed to pay child support. Not that either of those agreements was enforceable by Japanese courts. Personally, she preferred systems that –

She shook her head and reprioritized her thoughts. Divorce. What could have caused it? Abuse flicked through her mind but she dismissed it with a laugh. Money? Mamoru and Usagi both did fine. Cheating?

The idea stuck in her mind. It didn't seem possible, but out of everything on her 'List of Causes of Divorce', this was the most plausible. Not that it was any of her business…but…

* * *

"Hino speaking. Oh, hi Ami-chan. Yes, I heard. No. Spit it out already. What! Do I have a scarlet letter on my chest or something? Minako just asked the same thing. No! End call."

The line cut. Rei coolly stared at the road before her. She braked hard as an idiot cut her off. She leaned on the wheel and honked. She slowly pulled over to the shoulder and laid her forehead against the wheel.

She hadn't done anything and everyone was blaming her. There was no justice in the world.

She sat back up. "Dial Watanabe Hiroshi."

Ami and Minako weren't wrong to suspect her, she had to admit. She herself suspected that somehow, she had a part to play in the whole thing. She hadn't had much time to mull it over though. Usagi had called her earlier and had told her simply – "Mamoru and I are getting a divorce. I need help moving out."

A voice from the car's speakers interrupted her thoughts. "What can I do for you, Hino-sama?"

"I need you to find an apartment near Azabu First Elementary. Then, I need all of Tsukino Usagi's things moved."

"Yes ma'am."

Divorce.

Rei did not like the idea of it. If two people were devoted enough to each other to get married, they should be able to sort any issues out and stay married. That had been her view for a long time, but she could already hear her friends lecturing her on self-righteousness. Anyway, in this case, she hardly had grounds to stand on as far as judging went.

She entered her apartment. She intended to mull over her thoughts with a glass of wine and some classical music. Her plans were derailed when she noticed Usagi sitting on her living room couch. Sometimes she regretted having ever given her the key to her apartment. Sometimes she had to mentally prepare herself to see her. She wasn't sure she could handle any type of discussion involving feelings right now. The thought of it made her stomach drop.

"Usagi-chan, what are you doing here?" She could feel her defenses rise. Already she had started off badly, reverting to bluntness. She probably could have said something like, 'How nice to see you', or 'How are you', or any basic human greeting that she had spent years perfecting at hobnobbing events.

"Rei-chan, I need to talk to you about something." Usagi was staring at the ceiling. Her behavior only made Rei more nervous.

She grabbed a bottle of wine and two glasses and returned to the living room. She had to do at least one thing right. She poured a small amount into the glasses and handed one to Usagi. She raised her glass.

"A toast to making difficult decisions. Whether they end up being good ones or not."

Usagi smiled and gulped down her drink. Rei did likewise. The alcohol burned her throat.

"I didn't want to divorce him," she said, her finger tracing the edge of the glass she had set back down on the coffee table. "He's the one who asked for it."

"Why?" Rei could feel her heart hammering her throat, so thrum so loud she thought she might be able to hear it. She licked her lips.

"Because I didn't want to cheat on him." She stared right at Rei. Rei quickly broke eye contact and looked away. That's not a good reason, she thought. What about ChibiUsa? What about Crystal Tokyo? Anyway, you might as well have cheated on him. You kind of already did, emotionally. Rei was startled by her own conclusion. She should be wearing a scarlet letter, after all.

Rei determinedly clamped her jaw shut and waited for Usagi to speak further.

"Maybe…I guess that's not really clear. He wanted me to see what it was like, to be with other people. He said he was fine with it. I couldn't do that, though. It's not fair to him. I believed him, at first. Now I know he lied, because he wants me to be happy. He won't say he wants all of me, but I know he does. It wouldn't be fair to you, either, especially since you actually did say you wanted all of me."

Rei froze in her seat. She wracked her memory and remembered – yes, she had really said that. She had stated her desires openly and honestly and had left herself totally vulnerable.

If she could do it once – even though it had involved a lot of years – she could do it again.

"Say I wanted to be with you then." It felt strange to say the words. "Would you be able to promise me that you wouldn't do to me what you did to Mamoru?"

The tears that had been gathering in Usagi's eyes overflowed. Rei leapt off her chair and stalked to the other side of the room, resisting the impulse to go comfort her.

"I'm sorry, Usagi, but what we had wasn't right. You should have been honest with yourself and with Mamoru a long time ago. I should have, too. We didn't do the worst thing, maybe, but we still did something wrong.

"And I'm sorry because I love you," she choked out, "And I do want to be with you, but if you can't promise me that at least eventually, someday, you'll be all mine, then I can't accept that. If I got my heart ripped out by you…I might as well die." She walked toward the couch and knelt down in front of Usagi. "Can you promise me that?"

Usagi looked at her for a long moment. She wiped her tears away, then her own. "No," she said. "Not yet, anyway. I'm sorry."

Rei felt a crushing weight of combined guilt and distress constrict her chest. Guilt, because she had indeed played such a large part in Usagi's decision to get a divorce, and now it looked like it had been for nothing. Distress, because Usagi just had to utter those words. _Not yet_. Now what was she suppose to do? Wait? Rei stood up and backed away, wiping away the tears that fell insistently.

Usagi let out a breath. After a few moments she stood up and was about to exit the apartment when Rei rushed toward her and grabbed her arm.

"Wait. Where are you staying tonight?"

The two looked at a nearby clock. 1 AM.

"Um, well it seems silly to ask now, but…"

Rei rolled her eyes. "Yes, of course you can stay here, dummy."

* * *

"You still love him." Ami sat at the kitchen table, paring potatoes. Usagi had invited her for dinner, but hadn't quite managed to get it finished before her arrival.

"Yes." Usagi's lips twisted into a sad smile. "But even though it didn't turn out how I imagined it would, I still don't regret leaving him." She dipped a ladle into the soup pot and tasted the liquid. It was good, but it burned her tongue. "He deserves better."

Ami stopped paring, knife held in midair, as she thought back to what Minako had said when they had all finally pieced everything together. "You divorced Mamoru to be with Rei, but Rei won't be with you because you divorced Mamoru". That wasn't a fair way to look at it, though. It was much more complicated. Ami mulled it over, tried to think of a solution for Usagi. Two unchangeable constants. You couldn't force yourself to be romantically monogamous, Ami thought, and who could blame Rei for wanting full devotion? She sighed. There was no way around it.

A wail came from somewhere in the apartment. Usagi glanced apologetically at Ami before leaving the kitchen to attend to her child.

Divorce. Ami shook her head and laughed at herself. She trashed her mental List of Causes of Divorce. Some things couldn't be summarized with just a few words.

* * *

AN: **Gear001** – Thanks. Also, Titanic painting seen? Haha, I didn't even think of that! I'm going to have to add a steamy-car scene too, as an homage. Thank you **Guest(s)**. I think I will be focusing on _Counterweights_ in an attempt to finally finish a full-length story.


	13. Allies

AN: Delivering in a timely manner once again, here is chapter twelve. I foresee this story ending in six chapters at most, after this one. Monster chapters like they have been since the eighth one, but still - stick around, I will finish it! I swear on my Utena DVDs.

A summary of the first seven chapters can be found in chapter eight; chapters eight and nine are summarized in chapter ten; chapter ten in chapter eleven.

CHAPTER ELEVEN SUMMARY

IN THE PRESENT: The Senshi battle the Followers and the High Priest. Lord Hamilton appears and kills the High Priest. They recover from the brutal fight during two months of relative quiet. An attack on the Tokyo U Hospital heralds the coming of a new threat in the form of Lady Accra. Her intentions to conquer the planet are clear and the Senshi's attacks barely harm her. Lord Hamilton appears and fights Lady Accra. Lord Hamilton is losing when an attack from Sailor Saturn galvanizes Lady Accra into retreat. Although he was the one who set up the situation that caused the salaryman in the warehouse to die, he claims it was an elaborate plot to gain their trust and asks for their help. The Senshi's opinions are split on whether to join him.

IN THE PAST: Usagi and Mamoru go through with their divorce. Rei and Usagi have an emotional discussion that ends in Rei laying out her sole condition to being with Usagi: a guarantee of monogamous devotion. Usagi refuses, leaving all three in an uneasy situation.

* * *

**CHAPTER TWELVE**

_Now_

How could they find Lord Hamilton?

They decided to start looking in the most obvious places. Tokyo Tower. The Followers' cave. Watanabe's old office.

It took Haruka an hour to talk Makoto into going to the site of the warehouse collapse. Among the rubble they found a glowing rock with a piece of folded-up paper hidden underneath it. Haruka stopped Makoto from touching the rock and slid the paper out from under it instead.

_Dear Sailor Senshi,_

_To those who would like to fight by my side, touch the rock and you will be transported to my living space. _

_Best regards,_

_Lord Hamilton_

Haruka and Makoto exchanged a wary look before nodding. They touched the rock.

A few seconds later they were in an apartment. Makoto had been expecting some extra-dimensional fortress or at least a creepy underground layer or lab. She felt slightly disappointed by how normal the apartment looked. They were in the living room. On one end was a large television set, tuned to the news. There was a couch. There were flowers on the coffee table and books about the Seven Wonders of the Ancient and Modern Worlds. The place smelled like lemon-scented air freshener.

She ran a finger over a nearby bookshelf. It felt smooth, no dust gathering on her fingertip. She looked at Haruka, who shrugged.

"Greetings, Sailor Uranus, Sailor Jupiter." Lord Hamilton hobbled in. He rested his weight heavily on a short black cane. He had white bandages wrapped around his head, his bare torso, and right arm and had his left arm in a splint. His nose was in a cast. Pale red lines from where Sailor Saturn's ribbons had slashed his skin were still visible.

He leaned on the back of the couch and pointed his cane at the Sailor Senshi. They instinctively ducked and waited to hear the sound of a laser or energy blast or something fly over their heads. They cautiously looked up again when they heard nothing. He smiled.

"You have nothing to fear from me. I need this instrument to fulfill my part of the bargain, if you so wish to form an alliance with me." His voice edged upward at the end, asking a question without really asking one.

Sailor Jupiter stepped forward. "I do. I saw how dangerous Lady Accra was, and she fully intends to take over the world. We need to stop her."

Sailor Uranus nodded. "Agreed. And if you can provide us with any sort of power-up, we'll gladly take it, after our humiliating defeat."

His smile grew wider. "Thank you. And be assured that you will be my allies; at no point do I intend to boss you around. Now stand very, very still so I can work my magic." He raised his left hand up and said a few words in a strange language.

Makoto couldn't deny that she was nervous, but she heeded his instructions and froze in place. She felt something wash over her, like a river of cool water when standing under a waterfall, then she suddenly felt like she was standing in front of a campfire, the heat enveloping her, and then the feeling slipped away. She blinked. She didn't feel any different, but –

"Yes. Do feel free to try your new powers at any time. The effects of this spell vary by person, but you'll likely have increased strength, speed, and power. Also, I imagine you're both already heavy eaters – no offense – but try to consume even more calories." He paused. "That's all. Please do show up when you notice Lady Accra attacking."

He bowed and left the room.

"I don't trust him and I don't trust his spell," Sailor Uranus said. "But it's not like we really have a choice."

Sailor Jupiter clenched her hand into a fist and tried to feel if there was something different about her, but she still felt nothing. They left the apartment building and took note of the address. Then they headed to the nearest gym they knew of.

* * *

DOZENS STILL MISSING AFTER ALIEN ATTACK

Ami slammed her laptop shut and sighed. She had gotten nowhere on tracking where all the patients had gone, she had gotten nowhere in sorting out the relationship between Lady Accra and Lord Hamilton, and she had gotten nowhere in finding an antidote to the magical virus.

She had returned to the site of the attack a few hours after police had cordoned off the area. The cops had let her through, to her surprise. She analyzed the magical traces, the signatures of every spell that had been used, including their own attacks. It was a mess of magic and she had a hard time isolating the type of magic that had transported all those patients away. When she found it she could not trace it to the destination. Assuming they were even in or at least near Tokyo, she'd have to spend several weeks going through the city and analyzing every block to find the other end of the thread.

She had started doing so and Luna and Artemis often kept her company. She asked them if they knew anything about Lord Hamilton and Lady Accra. They hadn't heard of them specifically, but they had heard of House Massalia. It was a family marred with constant succession feuds and suspicious deaths. It was also a family with a taste for blood and with much power.

Finally, she had taken some vacation time to research the magical virus, but the only thing that she could find was that the virus had mutated recently. She finally gave in and recruited the other Dr. Nanzaki to help her, and father and daughter spent their evenings in the lab with Ami.

She sat back up and pulled on her hair out of frustration. She hadn't been able to solve any mysteries since the whole thing had started. Who the Followers were. Who the High Priest was. Who Lord Hamilton was. How to cure the infected patients. Dozens of more questions now floated in her mind. What were Lord Hamilton's intentions? What exactly did Lady Accra need those infected patients for? How could they defeat one or both of them? Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Uranus had shown them their increased abilities and powers. How had Lord Hamilton done that? Were they safe? Was there going to be some kind of awful cost?

She voiced her suspicions about Lord Hamilton to the others. What if he had been lying about being chased to planet Earth? What if he was just as bent on conquering it as Lady Accra was?

The others agreed.

But there was nothing they could do.

For now, anyway, Ami determined. She got a blood sample from Makoto and Haruka. She left the Drs. Nanzaki to work on the magical virus in the evenings and shifted her own attentions to analyzing their blood compositions. Mamoru and Urawa both helped her.

She was determined to solve at least one part of this mystery, no matter what.

* * *

It had been a few months since Watanabe had died. He was a bad man. Or possibly mentally unstable. Either way he had done some terrible things and had been hellbent on killing them. On balance, between being alive and destructive or dead and at peace, it was better that he was the latter.

Rei felt guiltily relieved about his death. Still she wished that he could be alive and well, alive and sane. Without a funeral it almost felt like he should rightfully still be around. To let a dead man simply disappear felt vaguely like a betrayal of her Shinto faith. She had seen the small newspaper article about a missing Tokyo man. When interviewed by the news networks, she had spouted some embarrassingly platitudinous comments and condolences. She waited a respectable amount of time before hiring a new assistant.

Shizuka was good at her job and was quickly becoming great at it, just like Watanabe had been, but to be honest and with great hesitation Rei had to admit that she missed him. She would call him at 2 in the morning for something and he'd answer with not the slightest hint of annoyance. He would have her coffee and paperwork and schedule for the day laid out on her desk every morning. Miraculously he would fulfill all of her impossible demands. I need to have a gift for this CEO's wife ready in fifteen minutes. I need a flight for fifteen people to Brisbane tonight. I need a conference room for three hundred people decorated and catered this weekend.

She treated him well in return, giving him a rather outrageous salary, a generous benefits package, and a good vacation allotment. But he wasn't her friend, or anything.

He was always just there.

Another beam in her house of reliability had been swept away and she despaired of ever having anything like stability. An easy-going life was a silly wish for a guardian of a future planetary monarch. She gave up on the wish and also gave up on sleeping tonight. She had been tossing and turning for the last two hours. It was obviously a lost cause.

She left her bed and sat in front of her fireplace. It was a poor substitute for a Sacred Fire, but any flame would help. She brought it to life with a flick of her wrist. It roared upward, too hot, for a second, before it calmed down into a steady burn. Pyjamas were likewise a poor substitute for miko robes, but she had to work with what she had. At least they were loose and comfortable. She crossed her legs and stared deep into the fire. She heard a soft murmur in what she knew was her voice, though it seemed to come from outside of her. Minutes or hours passed when she fell into a trance and a vision filled her mind.

Ashes surrounded her, floating on a wind that roared loudly, too loudly for her to hear her own footsteps as she strode forward. The smoke dizzied her and choked her airways, though the smell of sulfur overwhelmed every other scent. She felt sick and as the air cleared a little she only felt sicker. There were bodies strewn about on the cement and asphalt of the streets and the sidewalks. Some of bodies wore sailor fukus. She couldn't make out the colors of the skirts, as everything was dulled with a gray tint, and their faces were indistinct. Her mind refused to see who they were, she realized, as a blaze burst forth from a nearby house and spread quickly, consuming the bodies and turning the block into an inferno. She looked up, there was always something in the sky, and there they were – more shadowy figures, sailor fukus fluttering as they fought against something. Even more notably, she noticed that a large explosion hit Tokyo Tower, and the top crumbled to pieces, pieces of iron dropping to the concrete beneath it with loud clangs that echoed through the streets.

Something fell in front of her with a heavy thump. She jumped back and gasped when she saw Tuxedo Mask, unmistakably distinct in outfit and features. She screamed when another body landed in front of her and she saw herself. A bright light filled her sight until she could see nothing but white –

She broke free of the vision with a squeak. She blinked several times and scrambled away from the fire. Thick carpet beneath her, heavy oak furniture around her – she was back to herself.

She reached for a nearby towel and wiped the sweat away from her forehead. She was certain that Tokyo was in trouble. She hadn't needed any vision to tell her that, when she had seen that the terrifying powers of Sailors Pluto and Saturn had hardly fazed Lady Accra. As soon as she had seen that, dread of what was to come next settled deep into her bones. Long ago she had surmised that Tokyo would get devastated, overrun by the forces of evil, as usual.

The vision did tell her that she and Mamoru were probably in trouble. It also told her that her fellow warriors might also be in trouble.

This was also business as usual, but it unnerved her nevertheless. Her first call the next day was to Mamoru, who answered his cellphone in an overly-chipper tone. Rei barreled past the pleasantries.

"Are you sensing peril for the planet and mortal danger for yourself?"

"…Yes."

Her next call was to Michiru, and this time she was the one to ignore the usual phone greetings.

"I know what you're going to ask, and I feel like the start of a war will occur within a month."

"Thanks."

Next she called Setsuna, who stonewalled her.

Finally she called a meeting and informed the Senshi of what she had seen and of what Mamoru and MIchiru sensed.

Slowly, quietly, they all began to close up shop, tying up loose ends, setting up emergency delegation notices, dropping hints that they might soon have to take leaves of absences, and getting their friends and families as far away from Tokyo as possible. Most of them left willingly; some of them took a bit more persistence. Urawa and Yuuichirou both stubbornly refused to leave. As did Senator Hino.

"I believe you if you say there's danger coming," the Senator had said, "But I'm a representative of this country's people. I can't leave its biggest city when it's going to go through hard times."

Representatives of this planet's people, that was what they were, whether the planet wanted it or not, Rei thought. It was time to fight for them.

* * *

Sailor Venus and Sailor Neptune had taken to patrolling during the daytime, while the others were at work. They spent the long hours chit-chatting, which turned into easy silence, closer to the end of their patrol shifts. It was nice to be able to spend time with Michiru like this, Minako thought. Michiru had always seemed a little more distant than Haruka. Now Minako knew that her coded words and enigmatic smiles were nothing more than amusing disguises for her indulgent gossip or light teasing. Even with the possible end of the world staring them down, while the others fretted, it seemed like Michiru knew a secret about the outcome that the others didn't. The secret was this, she had revealed: There is nothing left to do but face down the evil. Whether or not you knew the evil was coming changed nothing.

So as the pair looked over the city from their perch on a tall building's rooftop ledge, Minako had fully expected Michiru's air of levity to continue when she asked: "Which of the Senshi would you least want to face with a fight?"

A little line formed between Michiru's eyebrows as she considered the options. "What kind of fight? In a sparring match, Sailor Pluto. Certainly I have not once been able to beat her and don't foresee ever being able to."

Minako agreed to the assessment, though personally Sailor Saturn's giant scythe intimidated her, while Sailor Pluto's rod looked mostly like a glorified stick. "What about a real fight? Where there's something on the line. A fight to the death for the last Twinkie on earth."

Michiru pursed her lips and shook her head. "I find that my answer displeases me greatly, but I know it cannot be any other way. Frankly, I make the decision not based on who I would be most afraid could kill me, but on who I would be most afraid to kill." She paused and took a few steady breaths. Minako's smile had dropped long ago and now she looked at Michiru intently. "If I were a good guardian I would say Sailor Moon. If I were a good mother I would say Sailor Saturn. I acknowledge my selfishness when I say the only person I would never kill, no matter what, is Sailor Uranus. A world without Haruka is hardly worth saving."

Minako gripped the edge of the ledge and kicked her feet out, swinging them back and forth for a moment before drawing them up to sit with legs crossed.

"Michiru-san, you are a good guardian. And you are a good mother."

Minako had just caught a glimpse of Michiru's answering smile when the building shook. There, right beneath their feet, Lady Accra and her brainwashed army had appeared. Her footsoldiers of crazed victims each had large plastic bags filled with needles. Minako had the sinking feeling that the needles were filled with more of the magical viral agent and a quick glance at Michiru confirmed that she shared the apprehension.

By unspoken agreement Sailor Neptune rushed toward Lady Accra. Sailor Venus stayed on top of the building for a few moments, taking in the scene. Lady Accra's warriors had started slashing and stabbing with their needles, attacking bystanders and passersby. She looked behind the crowd and watched Sailor Neptune engage with Lady Accra. Neptune was obviously overpowered.

She had seen enough. She opened her comm. link with the rest of the Senshi as she made her way down to street level. "All Senshi required immediately to my location. Emergency level red, auto-repeat indefinitely."

Her next call was to the police. "Sailor Venus calling. I need as many units here as possible now. We have a serious crowd control situation. Violent and dangerous, be prepared."

With that she made the final leap off a building onto street level and immediately launched a chain to capture a group of the fighters. But there were so many of them, and only one of her, and they got past her all the while slashing her with the needles. Some she avoided or blocked. Mostly she felt the sharp stinging pain of thin metal cutting through her skin.

She heard sirens get ever louder as the cops drew closer. She heard the rushed footfalls of her friends arriving just in time to help her out.

But, from the looks of things, Neptune was in a somewhat direr situation than she was. She immediately directed Sailor Mars and Sailor Moon to help her. Sailor Mercury and Tuxedo Mask she kept with her.

Sailors Uranus and Jupiter had not yet arrived. And who knew whether Sailors Pluto and Saturn would even show?

They were doing fairly well at containment, especially now that the police had barricaded the area and were stopping the creation of new victims. Sailor Venus launched another chain to capture another group of people when she felt something burning hot glance her side. She hissed and skipped away just in time to avoid another attack beam. Still Accra continued to fire at her and Venus could hardly escape just in time. She was grazed several times when she just barely managed to dodge and her back burned with pain.

Accra only stopped attacking when the others landed a particularly heavy blow. They were down to very nervous-looking Sailors Moon and Mars, Sailor Neptune having collapsed to hands and knees a short while ago from the strenuous effort of keeping Lady Accra contained during the first few minutes when it was just her and Sailor Venus on the scene.

Accra had obviously seen her collapse, for her next attack she aimed at Sailor Neptune, and she was taking her time gathering power in one hand, shrugging off the others' attacks. This would kill Neptune, Venus was convinced. She sprinted to her and tried to shove her out of the way, but could only succeed at shielding her with her body. The attack landed heavily. Sailor Venus screamed through the dull roar of the burn of the laser – or whatever it was – flowing over her. It hurt, it hurt –

Maybe this hadn't been her best idea –

Lady Accra was forced to let up redirect her attention when the Sailor Moon and Sailor Mars attacked her directly with knees and elbows. This meant nothing to Venus, who felt utterly battered and who only through force of will managed to stabilize her shaky knees to get both herself and Sailor Neptune upright.

* * *

Sailor Uranus moved on reflex. She had seen Sailor Venus struggle to get upright and manage it for a moment before her knees buckled again. She sprinted to her side and wrapped her arms around her waist to hold her and Sailor Neptune up. Sailor Venus glanced at her and smiled gratefully, but Uranus was too focused on the sight of Sailor Neptune, disheveled, bloody, and struggling to breathe.

She was going to kill Lady Accra.

She asked Venus to stay with Neptune and when she turned around to find Accra she spotted Sailor Jupiter, who looked just as furious as she did. A moment of understanding passed between them and they both turned their sights to Lady Accra. Sailor Uranus would have to try her best to have the earth devour Accra before Sailor Jupiter could get a shot in.

Poetic justice was in order. She raised her hand in a fist. The ground beneath her rumbled and quickly crescendoed until a dull, low, grinding sound reverberated for miles around, the sound shaking the bones of the cops and bystanders nearby. The earth pulled itself apart and large chunks of it began to cut through the pavement and rise from the ground in jagged shards. Finally she brought her fist down and with a sharp loud crack the earth hurled upwards from underneath Lady Accra's feet. She was flung into the air by the stream of rocks hitting her at high speeds. After a moment they stopped, suspended in midair, until gravity pulled them down. She fell back to the ground, huge rocks and stones smashing down on her as they followed her path.

Lady Accra would not be so easily killed. She broke through the pile of rocks after a few seconds, covered in dirt and blades of grass and looking most unhappy.

Sailor Jupiter was prepared. With a yell she launched a tangle of thick vines toward Accra and made them wrap around her. She squeezed her hands into fists and they began to tighten, constricting Accra until her attempts to breathe grew painful. Her eyes widened; she was actually having a hard time breaking free, and Sailor Uranus was getting ready to attack again. This could not be; with a great show of force she burst free from the vines and in a rage she called forth attacks. Sailor Jupiter dodged most of them, she had always been fast, but though before she was knocked off her feet by any attacks that managed to land she could now actually sustain them. Painfully. She grit her teeth as one hit her squarely but fought her way through until she was closer to Lady Accra.

"Supreme Thunder Dragon!"

A hastily erected wall took the impact of the electric animal that flew down at her. It dissipated through the atmosphere and left the air around them charged with electrons. Perfect for Sailor Jupiter, who quickly called forth another lightning bolt. Another wall went up. Sailor Jupiter yelled and kept pressing with her attack, downward, until the wall cracked and the bolt hit Lady Accra. She was thrown backward by the impact. She managed to land on her feet only to come face to face with Sailor Uranus, who immediately smashed her palm into her nose. Blood spattered onto the ground as Uranus followed her strike with a second and third punch to the face. Accra's head snapped back twice and when her head bobbed back down her eyes were blackened and swollen.

"How – "

She was cut off when the side of Uranus' hands met her throat.

Dammit. Hamilton. He must have expanded their powers, made them stronger and faster. Where was he, though? Probably still recovering from their fight. If she could take him down, she could take these two women. She would just have to up her game a bit. With a move too fast for Sailor Uranus to follow, Lady Accra ducked and launched herself forward. The top of her head met Uranus' stomach and Uranus reeled backward.

Accra felt something sharp hit the back of her head. She fell to the ground and rolled aside just in time to avoid another strike from Sailor Jupiter. Sailor Uranus was back on her feet as well and tackled her right when she managed to get up again. Accra acted quickly, wrapping her arms around Uranus and squeezing tightly. Uranus screamed when she felt pain shoot through her body. It consumed her entirely, she couldn't feel Jupiter kicking at Accra's hands on her back or the other attacks washing over them and couldn't hear the distressed cries of her fellow warriors. All she could think of was how much it hurt – it hurt too much – she blacked out.

Accra shoved her aside. Sailor Moon and Sailor Mars were mere nuisances, and she had disabled one of the real threats. Only one left to go, but taking down Sailor Uranus had been somewhat of an ordeal. Time to retreat and re-strategize. She floated upward and away from Sailor Jupiter's fists and disappeared. Her warriors disappeared along with her and all that was left behind was a broken landscape, three barely-alive warriors, and five enraged ones.

* * *

Setsuna and Hotaru had been horrified when they saw the bloody forms of Michiru and Haruka. They insisted that they stay at the mansion rather than at Ami's condo, so they could watch over them. It seemed wise to Ami to have those two guard the injured. They took Minako in as well. Haruka recovered quickly. Minako and Michiru were not so fortunate. They had both lost enough blood to make Ami nervous and they were physically exhausted.

But Michiru and Minako were not the type content to stay in bed all day, and were even less content to be constantly watched over by the others. At night they took long walks around the forested property, until Setsuna caught them. Then their walks were confined to the house. They often ended up in the kitchen, munching on the snacks that had been prepared for them.

They hadn't talked about the battle yet, but they would have to eventually, Minako knew.

"I don't like how that fight went."

"Which part didn't you like, Minako-chan?" Michiru's voice was light, but the strain made the undercurrent of stress obvious. "How we would have died had Sailors Jupiter and Uranus not been there? How Lady Accra is clearly a psychopath who is not at all hesitant to kill?" Michiru leaned against the kitchen counter and crossed her arms, hugging herself. "I don't think I've ever felt so useless."

Minako smiled. "That probably is a new feeling for you, isn't it? I don't like any of this. Just like you said. I don't think I've ever felt so useless, either." She was sitting on the window sill. She let her legs swing beneath her, the tips of her toes just brushing the floor. "Whatever shall we do, Michiru-san? Should we join Lord Hamilton and at least get some powers, even if they're from a sketchy source?"

Michiru considered it for a moment, but her thoughts were cut short when Lady Accra appeared in the kitchen from out of nowhere. Michiru and Minako both let out shrieks of surprise and backed away as far as possible, though they could go no further than the counter and the window.

"Why don't join me, instead?" Lady Accra smiled and walked closer to Michiru until she was just a foot away. Michiru reached behind her and grabbed a large knife from the cutlery block. Lady Accra raised her hand and Michiru felt a shock run through her arm, forcing her to drop the knife.

"Kaioh Michiru." She turned. "Aino Minako. It was surprisingly difficult to uncover your true identities, but now that I'm getting a closer look, you do look exactly like Sailor Neptune and Sailor Venus. A violin soloist and a pop idol." She shook her head. "Now that is some impressive magic." She grabbed an apple from the fruit basket and began thoughtfully chewing on it. "Michiru, you really should buy organic. It's not like you're hurting for cash."

She noticed Michiru freeze at the casual use of her first name and bowed apologetically. "Sorry, Kaioh-san, I forget the customs of this country. Anyway," she said, the half-eaten apple disappearing from her hand, "here's the deal. I am going to take over this planet, and I will kill Hamilton for trying to usurp my place as the rightful heir to our planet. I would like you to fight with me. Sailors Jupiter and Uranus are quite a nuisance. Honestly, I would rather have had Sailors Pluto and Saturn on my side, but I'm sure convincing them would be impossible. You two, on the other hand. I might not be the most appealing ally, but think carefully. Aino-san, how are your parents doing?"

She laughed as their eyes widened and their breathing halted. She floated upwards and looked down at them both. "If that isn't enough incentive, think about this: Hamilton is no different from me. He is just as bloodthirsty and power-hungry. I'll tell you a story. One day I was ruling our planet after having exiled him. He went to the neighbouring planet. One year later, half the population was killed, a fourth went to work in the mines, a tenth he took as personal servants, and the rest of the population he allowed to live in conditions of squalor and hopelessness. It was very bad for the economy so I chased him out, took over the planet, and pulled the people back on to their feet.

"He's just running with his tail between his legs because I am more powerful than he. If you, somehow, managed to kill me, he would conquer this Earth and enslave it. I, on the other hand, intend to be a benevolent dictator." She held up a vial. "I will magically make everyone perfectly happy to be obedient. Now unlike Lord Hamilton," she spit out the name with disgust, "I will not give you time to decide. Choose. Now."

But Minako and Michiru seemed paralyzed, their mouths hanging open, their bodies frozen in place. Accra scoffed.

"Let me put this bluntly, Aino-san. Join me, or your parents are dead. Kaioh-san, I know your family can defend themselves perfectly well. It would mean little to threaten them. So likewise to you – join me, or Aino-san's parents are dead."

Minako cleared her throat. "I accept."

Michiru shook her head. "I want a better deal."

"What?" Surprise colored both Accra and Minako's voices.

"If I join you," Michiru continued, "I don't want you touching any of the other Senshi's families, if you find out their identities."

Accra smiled. "Even if I grant you that, how could you be sure I would keep my promise?"

"You're about to grant me enough power to deal you serious damage. I might not be able to kill you, but I won't hesitate to try."

"If I refuse?"

"Then I won't join you." Michiru crossed her arms. Accra watched her carefully, for a few minutes. She remained still, no sign of shaky voice or nervous sweating or uneasy trembling.

"That would mean death for the Ainos."

She shrugged. "That is of no concern to me. If everyone else ends up losing their families, why should she get to keep hers?"

Minako stared at her, feeling betrayed, but Michiru steadfastly avoided her gaze.

"I like you, Sailor Neptune. If I ever figure out how to brainwash you Senshi, I'll spare you. Deal. Sailor Venus, you still have much to learn."

With that, Accra disappeared.

Michiru finally made eye contact with Minako. They exchanged a long look.

"You didn't actually mean it, did you?"

"Do you really want to know the answer?"

And with their usual excellent timing, Setsuna and Hotaru appeared, asking them what all the noise was about.

* * *

_Then_

Rei had it all planned out. She was going to find Mamoru, talk to him, and figure everything out. They would have a private conversation and together they'd figure out what to tell the others and how they'd move forward from this point. All their thoughts and feelings would be out in the open and there'd be no resentment.

She studiously avoided the places she knew Usagi and Mamoru usually frequented until she could gather together all the issues she wanted to sort out. How could she have known that Mamoru went to the same optometric practice she did? Their appointments ended nearly at the same time and they left the building together, awkwardly walking down the street until they reached Mamoru's apartment. By unspoken agreement Rei followed him in. She was not at all prepared for the talk they were going to have.

Mamoru, on the other hand, looked very prepared. He looked furious and Rei was left confused. She wasn't the one who had divorced Usagi, she thought. They sat in silence for a long time before Mamoru finally spoke.

"You turned her down?"

She frowned. "Not exactly. I set my terms and she couldn't meet them."

He sighed, covered his face with his hands, and took a few deep breaths. He dropped his hands to his sides and glared at her. "The whole divorce thing was pointless if you won't go out – or whatever – with her."

Her eyes widened. "What? You shouldn't have counted on me agreeing to be with her. I can't believe that's why you divorced her."

"That is not why I divorced her. Do you want some water?"

She scoffed at how he suddenly remembered to be a gracious host but nodded anyway. She regretted accepting as he began to open and slam shut cabinet doors, looking for clean glasses.

"I suggested the divorce," he continued, "Because it was the only way she'd be happy. And now you're basically asking her to pledge eternal devotion to you."

"I wouldn't hesitate to pledge eternal devotion to her for one second."

Mamoru stopped his search and whirled around to face her. "You're being selfish."

"You're trying to guilt me into a relationship I don't want," she snapped back. She got to her feet and stalked toward him but he stood his ground, arms across his chest, not the least bit intimidated. "Wanting the person you love to be with just you is a normal human thing, Mamoru-san."

"Well nothing about you, or her, or any of us is normal. The rules aren't the same, in a situation like ours. You just don't love her enough, or you'd already be with her."

"What?" she hissed.

He slammed his hands on the kitchen counter and leaned toward her. "I made the selfless choice to give her freedom because I love her. You won't even risk letting her do the same because you're too afraid of getting hurt. For your own convenience, you're trying to cage a bird that wants to fly." He leaned back. "That's selfish. That's not love." He was obviously disgusted. "I thought you were worthy. I see now I was mistaken. You don't deserve her at all."

She was not going to give him the satisfaction of seeing her cry. She wordlessly left the apartment.

* * *

Though she and Mamoru now rarely spoke, her relationship with Usagi had not become strained at all. They continued to hang out and talk on the phone for hours and pick silly fights. They steadfastly refused to acknowledge any awkwardness between them whenever they complimented each other or when there was a rare moment of silence in their conversations or when their outings were at all date-like. The awkwardness quickly went away.

They were best friends first, forever.

One evening Usagi showed up at her apartment with eyes wide and lashes fluttering. "Rei-chan, on a scale of one to ten, how much do you love me?"

What kind of a dumb question – then she spotted the stroller behind Usagi and realized that Usagi was dressed in somewhat formal wear. Much as she loved Usagi _fille_ despite or because of her brattines, as a baby she was more or less simply a living sleep deprivation device.

"Zero," she said, voice flat.

"Rei!" Her bottom lip trembled and her eyes became suddenly watery.

Ugh. "Eleven."

"Then would you please watch ChibiUsa tonight?"

"Fine, but I – " she broke her sentence off when she finally really registered what Usagi's cute dress meant. "Fine, but I charge by the hour, and you don't really want to know what my time is worth."

"What? Rei!"

Rei crossed her arms, unyielding. "Are you serious, Usagi? Get her dad to watch her. Or Shingo. Or your parents. Or _anyone else_."

"But everyone else is busy," she said. She turned around and pulled the stroller into the apartment. Rei let her in but maintained her stern gaze. "Mamo-chan and Ami-chan are working overnight, and Minako-chan and Haruka-san and Michiru-san and Hotaru-chan are overseas, and who even knows where Setsuna-san is, and Naru-chan is in Kyoto and my parents and Shingo are in Okinawa and I can't leave her with anyone else."

Ugh. "Then this is some terrible timing on your part." She paused. Usagi continued to stare at her with wide eyes. "I'll watch her but you have to let me meet the person you're going out with."

"No way!"

"Then I guess you can't go out tonight."

"Argh…fine."

When the doorbell rung an hour later Usagi abruptly excused herself to go to the washroom. Rei reluctantly opened the door, not wanting to leave the poor man waiting outside. When she saw him she was not at all impressed. He was tall and broad. His biceps were probably bigger than the size of his brain. He had short black hair, dark eyes, and a delicate, sharp face that did not match the rest of his body.

He looked like a beefy Mamoru.

Rei choked down a laugh because it was time to turn to serious business. She slowly and deliberately looked him up and down from head to toe.

"Hino Rei. Pleasure to meet you." She bowed slightly. He did the same and started to speak. She cut him off. "I don't care what your name is. I only care about one thing. You might not know who I am, but I am super rich and have a lot of connections. I could get assassins to stalk you for months before they kill you. But I won't do that. Because if you hurt her, I'll kill you myself."

What he was going to respond with remained a mystery as Usagi returned right at that moment. Still his terrified expression told Rei everything she needed to know. She smiled pleasantly at the pair. "Have a nice time."

She watched them feel and felt quite satisfied. It was a little painful to watch her with another but at least it wasn't Mamoru plus threatening him had been amusing. Almost fun. Totally worth it, she decided, turning her attentions to the baby she had been charged with.

When Usagi returned later that night, she was livid.

"Rei, what did you say to him? He was jumpy the whole night and he cut the date short."

"Why do you think I said anyting?" Rei asked. Innocence laced her voice.

"That smug smile of yours is not at all attractive."

"If he was jumpy then he was probably a serial killer or something. I just told him I'd kill him if he hurt you. If he were a nice guy he'd have nothing to worry about."

"Rei!" Usagi grumbled. She threw herself onto the couch and slapped her own forehead. "I guess I brought this on myself."

* * *

She had to admit she kind of loved the role of the threatening best friend. The others were often busy in the evenings or just out of the city and somehow Rei ended up babysitting on most of Usagi's first dates with someone new. Her second date was with someone who was tall and had short brown hair and obviously felt quite comfortable in her own skin until Rei unleashed the not-at-all-veiled threats. The Mamoru clones and Haruka look-a-likes were sometimes joined by Seiya doubles. Only twice had Usagi gone out with people who resembled none of them. An American redhead lasted two dates and a tiny bright-eyed blonde lasted one. She obviously had a type and Rei did not hesitate to tease her about it.

"You're going out tonight? I bet 30 000 yen that he or she looks exactly like Haruka."

"Shut up, meanie! And no, it's not a date, it's more like a…very casual meeting."

"Yeah, right. When are you going to come by?"

"No, it's okay. Ami-chan's going to watch ChibiUsa tonight."

This grabbed Rei's interest. Never had she not met one of Usagi's new dates. It might have been coincidence but the hesitation in her voice made Rei invite herself over to Ami's place. When she arrived, Usagi had already left, and Ami dodged questions about what her date looked like. Suspicion bloomed in Rei's mind. She had to stay and see for herself, she decided, even though Ami attempted to get rid of her as gracefully as possible.

Her suspicions were confirmed when Usagi returned with a short woman with long black hair and dark eyes. Her hair was shorter than Rei's and her black eyes held not a shade of purple but her aggressive stance, uplifted chin, and steady gaze made Rei feel uneasily like she had just seen her long-lost sister.

She ducked behind the couch. She knew Usagi had seen her but she hoped at least her date hadn't. That would be _too_ weird. When her date had left Usagi cleared her throat and Rei reluctantly stood up.

"You didn't have to hide it," she said. She tried to keep an even tone but annoyance made her voice sharp. "I knew it was going to happen eventually."

Usagi stared at the floor. "Sorry," she mumbled.

Rei shrugged. "I don't really care but I do feel obliged to tell you something, even though I know you won't listen. Us four – our similarities are too obvious. Protective, devoted, dutiful, hardworking, stern, given to teasing but willing to indulge you and your silliness. Try to find people like us, and you might succeed, but you'll never find perfect replicas. Too bad you can't have Haruka or Seiya and as for Mamoru..." she trailed off. Wait. What exactly had Usagi and Mamoru agreed to?

Still her unspoken sentence fairly screamed out – _BUT YOU COULD HAVE ME._

If only.

"Hey, Rei-chan." Ami's soft, admonishing voice made Rei sheepishly scratch the back of her head.

"Sorry, Usagi."

Usagi looked unimpressed but accepted her apology before leaving with ChibiUsa. Rei threw herself onto the couch and glared angrily at nothing.

Ami sat down at the other end of the couch, ankles crossed together, hands on her lap. "You forgot a few adjectives from your list of similarities. Add: demanding, hot-headed, morally rigid, self-righteous, arrogant, burdened with martyr complexes, think they always know best, easily hurt…"

"Okay, I get it! Way to make a girl feel better."

Ami pursed her lips. "I know someone who understands your situation better than anyone else, even though you reacted somewhat differently. He might be able to make you feel better or at least commiserate and he wishes you'd be on speaking terms with him again."

* * *

She called him before she could run into him again and they agreed to meet in a neutral zone. An ice cream parlor, where there were children around, so they couldn't cause a scene.

They sat in silence for a while until the waitress arrived with their orders. An sundae in front of her, a milkshake in front of him.

"I think I owe you an apology," she finally said, a few bites into her ice cream.

"No, I'm the one who should be sorry," he immediately answered. "I – "

She held up her hand. "Stop. Let's not start with the I'm-sorry-no-I'm-sorry. Can we just be friends again?"

He smiled and tented his fingers. "That depends. What can you offer to this friendship?"

"You sound like a mafia boss. How about this – I like you, even when you're being a jerk. Because I know you always have good intentions."

"Well I like you too," he said, "Even when you're being a jerk."

She waited for the compliment to drop. He remained silent. "Hey!"

"It's true! I do like you. I mean, we did date for a while." His eyes shifted away as he thought back to their younger days. "A short while, but still."

"That's not what I was objecting too." She had to laugh. She had completely forgotten that they had ever gone out. "I can't believe we ever dated."

"I'm not surprised. You're sharp as a tack and pretty to boot."

She twirled a strand of her hair around her finger and raised her eyebrows. "Are you hitting on me? With clichéd expressions?"

He leaned back and puffed out his chest. "I would never. All of my lines are originals. Hey baby, what's your planetary sign? Are you a Martian? Because you just abducted my heart. Is that a henshin pen or are you just happy to see me?"

"Ew! You're terrible."

* * *

A/N: Chapter 13 I'm thinking it's time for an Usagi POV on everything that has happened. Because gurlll, what are you thinking? Not to worry, the plot will still move forward, and Chapter 14 we'll finally stop worrying about the _Then_ and focus on the _Now_.

By the way…unplanned fic writing is hard. I'm going to cheat. I'm stuck on _Stepping Through the Gates_. Someone give me a line or a scenario or an event or an object or anything. Strictly fun, nothing serious.

Thank you **TheJamesS**, **leilane**, and **StormBrisingr** - when I get around to editing this whole story once it's done (...if I get around to it...) I'll be putting clear day month year headings at the top of each section!


	14. A Colorless Chain

AN: Happy New Year, everyone. This chapter refers to previous events quite a bit but all of the _Then_ moments for Usagi flow in chronological order.

CHAPTER TWELVE SUMMARY

IN THE PRESENT, Haruka and Makoto agree to fight with Hamilton against Accra in exchange for boosted power. Ami seeks an antidote to Accra's virus. Rei has a vision of a bleak fight ahead of them. They battle Accra and the fight is obviously lopsided as Minako and Michiru are grievously injured. After tense negotiations, Minako and Michiru gain powers but are forced to side with Accra.

IN THE PAST, Rei and Mamoru argue. Usagi dates other people and eventually goes out with someone very similar to Rei. Usagi and Rei argue. Mamoru and Rei make up.

* * *

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

PART I

_Then_

The walls were thin, plus she had pressed her ear against the door. She couldn't help but overhear Ami continue to needle Rei. "…burdened with martyr complexes, think they know best, easily hurt…"

Usagi drew away from the door. She could add quite a few adjectives to Ami's list. Complex, intense, frustrating, fundamentally kind, dashing, and quite attractive. Physically.

If she were completely honest, that was what had caught her attention, initially.

_Way back then, when they were kids_

Like when she had first met Mamoru.

"Study harder, dumpling head."

Okay, maybe not Mamoru. He was a jerk, at first, so she had barely noticed his good looks at all. She had, however, certainly noticed Tuxedo Mask's good looks. He cut a lean, strong figure in his suit; he looked exactly like how she imagined a prince should look like, regal, mysterious; acted even more like one, swooping in to save her, the bearer of roses and secret messages that always seemed prepared just for her.

And when she had first met Rei.

She thought shrine maidens were supposed to be demure, plain-looking servants of the gods. Rei was demure – or had appeared to be, at first, until she had yelled at her grandpa – but she was far from plain-looking. She looked gorgeous, striking, a living chiaroscuro painting; Sailor Mars was another vision altogether, with hair that swirled wildly in the long shadows cast by the light of bright flames.

And they were young, when they had first met; still teenagers, still awkward – thinking back on it, though Usagi hadn't noticed their awkwardness then, herself being the most ungainly of adolescents – but there was no compare between the adults they were now and the children they had been then. It was difficult to look at them for too long, they were dazzlingly radiant; at the same time, it was nearly impossible to look away.

The thing was…Were looks the only requirement she could easily have fallen in love with any of her uncannily gorgeous friends.

What was it, then?

She had always liked them. She deeply admired them from the first, even though he was a jerk, and she was mean.

When did she fall in love?

Was it when he had stopped being a jerk, when she had stopped being mean?

No, because he could still be a jerk sometimes; she was still frequently mean.

With Mamoru she realized, suddenly, that she was deeply and irrevocably in love with him, had been in another life and would always be, it was fate and destiny and she was a _Moon Princess _and he was some kind of King of the Earth and it was overwhelming, it had engulfed her entirely, the depth of emotion she felt for him.

With Rei it had crept up on her slowly, over a much longer haul, until love finally knocked at the door of her heart so loudly and so persistently that she had to let it in, and she found herself wondering how she could not have known, thought that Rei had probably known for far longer than she had, thought back to their adolescence and all she could see was love leaking out from both of them for each other.

Maybe she had loved her since forever ago, too.

* * *

_Then, after the man died, after they found out he had been a single father supporting three kids_

She couldn't sleep, she couldn't eat. The thought of food made her sick and every night she'd have nightmares so she strived not to fall asleep. She tried not to think about her role in that man's death. She blocked it out but she kept coming back to how she, Tsukino Usagi, had failed to live up to Sailor Moon's name, standard, values, everything she stood for and everything she was. She was a Moon Princess, stalwart defender of love and justice. Where was the love, where was the justice, in killing an innocent man? There was none.

Three orphans caused by the carelessness of five barely-grown women. It wasn't fair. It had never been fair. They had gotten superpowers at such a young age. What kind of fourteen year old would anyone trust with elemental forces? But no, their age wasn't the problem. Even at fourteen they had dealt with all the magical evil forces that came their way, even when they were woefully underprepared. No, you could never be ready to take on the weight of the world. Not even when that weight was shared with a dozen others. And those dozen others, her friends, why did it have to be them, who were so loyal, dutiful, and who felt everything so intensely? Why were they fated to suffer so, when for most of them their lives were already hard enough?

She, she had everything. She had a family who loved her no matter what and friends who supported her, friends who actually lived to protect her. Compared to Minako, fighting alone for so long, Ami, from a broken home, Rei, abandoned by her widowed father, Michiru and Haruka, practically disowned, Makoto, orphaned, Mamoru, orphaned, she couldn't even think about Setsuna and Hotaru whose situations were just too _weird and depressing_, and all of them terribly lonely for a long time…

She buried her face into her pillow and screamed. The sound was muffled but it must have carried well nevertheless. She heard the dull thumps of the heavy footsteps of a still-growing, still-awkward high school boy. Moments later the door to her bedroom slammed against the opposite wall.

"Shingo-kun, what did I tell you about slamming the door," she grumbled. Shingo knelt by her bedside and poked her repeatedly until she squirmed away and smacked him with a pillow.

"Hey, Usagi-chan, what's wrong? Usagi-chan. Usagi-chan."

So annoying.

Finally she sat up and looked at her younger brother. He had little frown lines between his eyebrows and the corner of his lips were turned down and he had not a trace of facial hair.

"Hey, babyface. Why do you care?"

He just stared at her silently.

Shoot. He knew. He probably had suspected for a long time, and the way she had been acting recently must only have confirmed his suspicions. Did it change anything? She mulled it over. No. Even if Shingo knew she was Sailor Moon, there was nothing really to tell him. Nothing to say to anyone.

"Nothing's wrong." She flopped back onto the bed. He left the room dejected. Her cellphone rang dozens of time. She didn't even bother to check the caller ID. After a while the calls stopped.

Hours later she heard the doorbell ring. Her mother poked her head into the room. "Usagi, Rei-chan's here to see you."

For a moment she was torn. She didn't want to turn her away, but she didn't really want to see anyone. She just wanted quiet and a lot of time to think about nothing. She settled for a compromise. "Tell her to come back later."

More time passed. The calls started up again and would not stop. This time she did check the caller ID. The usual suspects. If it was important they would have used the Sailor communicator, she thought. Then she heard scratching at her window. She hauled herself out of bed and drew back the curtains. Luna and Artemis were on the windowsill. She opened the window.

"What?" She tried not to sound annoyed, but her voice still came out sharply.

"Usagi, you're not dressed? Hurry." For what? Usagi leaned out the window. Her friends were staring up at her from the ground. Makoto, Minako, Ami…Rei?...oops.

What a failure. She really, really sucked. She couldn't even support her best friend in time of need. There Rei lay in the guest bedroom of the Outers' mansion, screaming and feverish. Usagi felt a stab of pain in her chest. She sniffed. She wasn't going to cry, now was not the time. She stamped down a sob. Not crying, not crying…the tears began slipping down her cheeks anyway.

* * *

_Then, when she saved the preschoolers_

Her parents threatened to kick her out. She had not gotten a job, had not even applied to any jobs, since she had graduated. What did we send you to university for?, they chided her. We have to send Shingo-kun to school, too, it's expensive!

Fine. They were right. Maybe it was time for her to move out, anyway. Get her own apartment, stop depending on her parents for housing and food. To move out she would need money. To get money she'd need a job. Any of her rich friends would be happy to bankroll her – she suddenly realized that of their group, all except Makoto could be classified as 'wealthy'. Mamoru, ER intern, was on the _lower_ end of the scale in terms of income earned. She couldn't rely on him or on any of her Senshi friends, though. As if they didn't already give up enough of themselves just to protect her. No, she was going to make it on her own. She would be independent.

The hard part was getting a job. She thought that even if she got an interview somewhere they'd probably find her too listless and depressed to hire her to teach children. Children needed energy, someone who liked fun and games. Like that woman, over there, playing tag with those little toddlers in the playground of the preschool. They were adorable. She had to smile at their bright eyes and high-pitched laughter.

Their laughter turned into screams when something exploded in the playground. Usagi rushed toward the school without a second thought and easily jumped the low fence. The teacher had her arms wrapped around a kid, there was a monster standing on the roof of the school, aiming –

Usagi threw herself forward and thought she felt like she was getting torn apart as the blast hit her –

And wow, did these attacks ever hurt when not in Senshi form. She clamped down on her jaw, determined not to scream in pain in front of this child who already looked horrified enough.

"Are you alright?" the teacher asked.

"Yes, I'm fine, but you need to get these kids out of here." Usagi shoved her aside just in time for all three of them to avoid another blast from the monster. The teacher blew her whistle, drawing all the kids toward her, while Usagi grabbed the nearest ball and whipped it at the monster. It growled as it smacked his face.

"Hey ugly, over here!"

That worked a little too well. Another energy blast came her way and even though years of being late to school had made her a fast runner, she was still too slow in civilian form to avoid something flying at the speed of light. She was thrown back several feet. Fortunately she landed in the sandbox. The monster did not let up. He continued blasting her and she rolled to her feet and ran toward the opposite end of the playground, as far away as possible from the kids who were being ushered back into the school. Some blasts hit her, some missed. Overall, it really hurt.

There, all the kids were inside the building. She ducked behind a tree which was apparently enough to leave the monster confused. She frantically pushed the emergency button on her communicator. Sailor Venus and Sailor Mars appeared soon after. They dispatched the monster quickly before rushing to Usagi's side.

"Usagi!" Sailor Venus and Sailor Mars both sounded furious, but Usagi had heard that tone often enough from all of them. They weren't angry. They were worried.

"I'll survive," she said, closing her eyes. She felt Sailor Mars hoist her upward and wind push against her hair as they rushed her to the hospital.

Sailor Venus demanded to know what had happened.

Usagi smiled. "I saved those kids. Me! Tsukino Usagi, 22-year-old NEET, a crybaby and a klutz, saved those babies."

* * *

_Then, after Usagi and Mamoru's wedding ceremony_

Know thyself.

The words ran through her mind over and over again. Know thyself.

She knew these things about herself: she was a crybaby and a klutz. She was a Moon Princess and a defender of love and justice. She was a gainfully employed 23-year-old. She had just married Chiba Mamoru, Earth Prince and defender of love and justice, though he'd probably label himself a defender of maidens and innocence, or something like that. She liked to eat and sleep and read manga.

She had the feeling that this was not quite what Rei had meant by 'know thyself'.

Why had she been so adamantly against accepting those airplane tickets from Rei? Because it was just wrong. Wrong wrong wrong. Because Rei was so obviously in love with her. Anyone who observed the two of them for even a little bit could see it. Even her own mother had tried to ask her about it with her anvil-like subtlety. "You and Rei-chan sure have been close for a long time, hmm? It reminds me so much of a friend I had, before I met your father…" Like she needed to know that about her mother.

Usagi shook her head. Yes, it was obvious, and that's why she had kissed her before sending her up to the mountains, because when Rei had that 'I am adorably confused by your demands and a little mad that you'd have me do this but I will go and sequester myself in an isolated temple because I'll do anything you ask' expression on her face, she had to do something for her in return.

Yes. That was definitely why she had kissed her. Right? Not because her heart seized up by how cute her expression was and how beautiful she looked in the dim moonlight, not because she felt immensely gratified that someone would take her opinion so seriously, not because she loved her. Well she did love her, AS A FRIEND. Right?

A thrill shot through her when she realized that the answer was a resounding 'no'.

She was in love with her. Since when? Since the first time she had died, since the second? Since the 21st time they had argued (about three days since they first met), since the 53rd time she had comforted her (about six months since they first met), since the 71st time she had scolded her (estimated eight months), since the 103rd time they had fought side by side (estimated one year), since the 131st time they had celebrated a success together (estimated two years)?

She didn't know when it had happened. She couldn't believe she had only realized it now.

She was pretty sure everyone and their moms, quite literally, would make fun of her. They must all know. Just like anyone with two eyes and a working brain could see that Rei was in love with her, anyone could see that she was in love with Rei.

She took a breath to steady herself. This revelation changed the lens through which she viewed their whole entire shared past and everything suddenly seemed so clear, her own at times confusing behavior made so much more sense.

She turned onto her side. Her eyes widened when she saw Mamoru sleeping next to her. She just realized she was in love with Rei and she had gotten married just a few hours ago.

To a man she was also deeply in love with.

She grabbed her pillow and screamed into it.

"Usako? Are you alright?"

* * *

_Then, when Usagi and Mamoru got divorced_

Divorce by mutual agreement. The process had been almost too easy. They had to sign a lot of paperwork, yes, but going through tax receipts and signing her name on hundreds of legal documents felt like very little compared to the dull, numb feeling that filled her.

Chiba Usagi was no more.

"Mamo…" – she hesitated – "Mamoru," because it would be too weird to call him Mamo-chan, but how could two people who had been married and who still loved each other revert back to distant honorifics or family names?

And he seemed to understand, too, for he replied with a simple "Usagi," and she wondered if Usako had died along with Chiba Usagi.

"Mamoru, what do you want to do now? About...you know…us."

She had pulled a coward's move, she knew. She didn't want to ask the real question. Again, he seemed to understand, without her having to say anything.

"I love you Usagi, I do. And I want to be with you, even if you're with _someone else_ at the same time. But we just got divorced. And it's just a little weird and I'm not super-happy about it." He sighed. The lawyers had left the two of them alone, in a law office, an office with low orange lighting and a red and brown color scheme. They were surrounded by heavy wooden bookcases filled with dusty tomes and papers and manila folders were strewn on the desk in front of them. This was a place where things happened, where the law happened.

The gravity was making him choke. He stood up. "I need some time to think. I hope we can still be friends."

She looked at him like he had just kicked Luna in the face. The dismay in her eyes made him hastily backpedal. "Not in a sitcom kind of way. I am your friend. And I want to be your lover. I hope that I can be again soon." He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He couldn't make this request, not while she looked like that, but – "I think for now, though, maybe we shouldn't speak to each other for a little while." He opened his eyes again. "I'll call you when I'm ready."

She slunk down in her chair. "Okay."

As soon as he left the room Usagi let her head drop and bang against the desk. He had looked so sad, and she had to wonder whether this whole selfish enterprise had truly been worth it. She was the one who couldn't love just one person, she was the one who wanted to be with the others she loved, and she was the one who didn't want the guilt of being married while doing so.

Poor Mamoru, who had always given her everything she asked for, and what did she give him in return? She wondered sometimes, what he had ever seen in her at all.

* * *

_Then, when Usagi started dating again_

She missed them, though.

She missed Mamoru, mostly, at first. She missed how his hair fluttered in the wind, how his eyes sparkled against the sunset when they went to the beach together, how his voice could change from light and easy to overdramatically serious in an instant, how his fashion sense had only very slightly improved from their younger days, how he had to hide his delight when they went to the ice cream parlor and she forced him to eat a huge sundae, how he would smell her hair when he held her close, how he would wake up in the middle of the night when ChibiUsa was bawling and never say a word of complaint despite the deep dark circles surrounding his eyes…

Still she honored his request and only spoke to him as much as strictly required.

But she missed him so much.

So when that guy (…what was his name again?) had asked her out, she had leapt at the chance. The date had been nice. Maybe a little boring. He kept asking her questions about her life that she mostly had to avoid answering and she ended up learning nothing about him. All she knew was that if she squinted he looked a little like Mamoru, but that meant nothing at all. She wasn't too disappointed when he cut the date short.

The next few dates were better. She was getting better at choosing the right people to go out with, people who would poke fun at her one moment and indulge her the next.

Fine, she knew what kinds of personalities she liked. She didn't need Rei to point it out.

Though she did anyway, incessantly, and Usagi realized that she missed her, too, even though she had never left her side.

She probably hadn't even realized that she had made herself more distant. She wasn't finding every excuse to touch her. Usagi had stolen a manga right out of Rei's hands and she hadn't even tried to take it back. She declined to watch stupid TV shows with her and had gone so far as to cut her satellite down to strictly news channels. When she'd pull her silly stunts sometimes Rei would respond as usual but sometimes she'd only answer to her antics with a flat, tired, end-of-discussion "cut it out".

So she went out with that Rei clone (…what was her name again?) and had a fun time but when she came home and saw the real deal she realized it was pointless. Rei had said as much – she'd never find a Mamoru or a Rei or a Seiya or a Haruka out there. She had already found them once. She stopped actively looking for people like them (though people like them seemed drawn to her, anyway), even though she still missed Mamoru terribly and desperately wished Rei would liven up again.

And she did. She couldn't help herself for long. Soon the wrestling matches over manga resumed, the kids' cartoons and daytime dramas were back on, and they'd end their days and evenings out with laughter and smiles.

* * *

_More recently, when Mamoru got shot by the Followers_

But she hadn't felt the real Rei back until the High Priest once again introduced violence and fighting into their lives.

She had been horrified when Mamoru had gotten riddled by bullets, that night at the site of the warehouse collapse, when the High Priest and his followers had tried to kill him. She watched as he ducked behind a beam. Bloody footprints stamped the path he had taken and Sailor Moon moved to follow him when a Follower appeared right in front of her, barrel of a gun aimed at her head.

She pushed it aside just as he fired the gun. The sound of the explosion in the chamber made her ears ring but she had to get to Mamoru. She couldn't really hear which made her unsteady on her feet, as if she could afford that, but she moved forward anyway, dispatched the man with an uppercut to the jaw. It had been a long time, since she had gotten directly physical like this, she had gotten too used to ranged attacks.

Time to go back to her roots. A Sailor Moon Kick knocked out the next Follower to attack her.

She couldn't hear, though, the man who came up behind her, wielding a heavy brick. He prepared to smash it down on her head when he suddenly lost consciousness.

She felt the man slump against her and turned around. Sailor Mars had arrived, looking rather bloody and battered, but she tossed her an easy smile and a peace sign and said something. Sailor Moon pointed at her ears and shook her head. Sailor Mars frowned, shrugged, and sent a beam of fire directly over her shoulder, downing another man. Then she grabbed her arm and pointed at Sailor Venus, who was sprinting toward the beam behind which Tuxedo Mask had hidden.

Sailor Moon nodded. Venus could look after Tuxedo Mask, he was strong, she would know what to do to help him; meanwhile, they still had all of these attackers to deal with. Mars spun her around and pressed up against her and they were back to back and the bruises and cuts she sustained felt like nothing at all when she knew she had Sailor Mars behind her, ready to bail her out at any time.

Darkness ringed her vision but with one final, well-aimed tiara toss all of the Followers were down.

And she suddenly noticed that she had regained her hearing. She could hear the groans of the injured Followers; Sailor Mars' heavy breathing behind her; and Sailor Mercury's footsteps as she dashed toward Venus' and Tuxedo Mask's location.

Sailor Moon sprang into action, running after her, Sailor Mars only a few footsteps behind, and when she arrived she choked back a sob. He looked half-dead, she should have known, he wasn't built like they were, and there was so much blood. She dropped to her knees beside him but Mercury held her arm out, blocking her from touching him, and she knew what that meant – too many internal injuries, it would be dangerous to risk moving him at all, so dangerous she couldn't even touch him. She desperately fought back the tears that threatened to spill. There, Ami was calling the ambulance. Mamoru would be fine, everything would be fine…

She felt someone shake her shoulder roughly. She turned and found herself looking directly into Rei's eyes.

"Usagi, this man is not just a magical man in a monkey suit, prancing around and spouting lines for amusement. He will not let a few small pieces of lead take him down. This man is the future king of this Earth. This man is the father of your daughter. This man is Chiba Mamoru, who will stay alive, if only to protect you."

Usagi blinked at her. Rei smiled. Usagi's lower lip started to tremble. Rei's smile dropped.

"No, no, don't cry, I'm sorry, please – aw, damn."

* * *

_More recently, when Usagi got shot by the High Priest_

She visited Mamoru in the hospital every day, after that. She wished it hadn't taken a near-death experience, but they were speaking again, and slowly rebuilding their friendship. No, that wasn't quite it. Their friendship had always been there, that was one thing she was sure she'd never lose. They were rebuilding another aspect of their relationship, though, that part that she realized had been missing for a long time, the part that was friendship _without_ romance. She had missed out on this, had been dating him ever since she was _fourteen_ – and what did a fourteen-year-old know about love and friendship and people? These were all complicated enough, at her age.

"I never liked those purple shirts of yours," she said. "The shades you pick just remind me too much of that McDonald's thing."

"McDonald's thing…" Mamoru scratched the back of his head and frowned in concentration. He had one arm in a cast; on his other arm there was a white plaster stuck over his inner forearm with a tube leading out of it toward an IV drip. The place was quiet; this was a private room in the recovery wing. Other than their voices the only sound in the room was that of the heart rate monitor. It beeped steadily.

He snapped his fingers. "…Grimace?" He paused. "You think I look like Grimace."

"No, I said your shirts remind me of Grimace." She was sitting in a plain wooden chair next to his bed. It wasn't the most comfortable of chairs, but at least it prevented her from falling asleep to the rhythmic sound of the monitor. Couldn't the hospital staff at least have put a pillow on this thing or something, though? She stood up and paced around the room. Cards, flowers and teddy bears spilled over on the little table on the other side of his bed. She dug her card out of the pile and placed it at the very front.

"Where did you find a 'Hope you feel better soon' card with a crescent moon on it?" He shook his head. "Anyway, I think your hairbuns make you look like a dumpling head."

She whirled around and pointed at him. "Meanie! I said something new. I already know how you feel about the buns!"

"I'm just saying there are other hairstyles out there. Like shorter-than-ankle-length hair, asymmetrical haircuts, other colors…"

She pulled at her blonde locks. "You want me to _dye_ my hair? Humph. Like you're the king of original haircuts, Mr. Same-barber-for-twenty-years."

"That doesn't – "

Whatever he was going to say got cut short when Ami burst into the room and pulled Usagi away with some hastily muttered apologies to Mamoru. Moments later they were running toward the National Diet building. Sailor Mercury filled her in.

When they arrived she immediately noticed Rei standing on the balcony, and the man behind her holding a gun to her head; next she noticed the Senator being held hostage by another man with a gun. She had to get them both out of here, safely. Had to get everyone out. Sailor Venus and Salior Pluto flanked her and both looked ready to leap into a fight. Too risky, she thought. She could hear Sailor Venus's softly muttered cursing, she knew it was too risky as well. She'd have to talk the High Priest out of it. She prepared a speech in her head, but all her careful thoughts were thrown aside when he leapt down from that balcony and proposed to her.

As if she didn't already have enough romantic problems.

Then she got shot and her memory blurred.

Her next clear memory was of being in Ami's condo.

The guest room she was in had huge windows that let the moonlight stream in and illuminate everything in a soft glow. She could make out the titles of the books on the overstuffed shelves jutting from the walls. She spotted a duffel bag she thought was hers. Someone had probably filled it with her belongings and brought it here. A number of chairs surrounded the bed and Hotaru was slumped over in one of the chairs, sound asleep. Usagi thought of offering her some bedspace but decided against to when she tried to move and she felt her ribs ache and her chest radiate heat. So she was in quite a bit of pain, but at least she was well enough not to be in Ami's makeshift clinic. No IV's or blood transfusions or sterile environments needed.

She heard a few sharp voices, the words they uttered muffled by the doors and the walls. The sound had awoken her and it sounded like arguing. She slid out of bed and hissed when she felt the pain shoot up again but ignored it to move closer to the door and pull it open just a crack.

"You should have moved! You should have taken them out as soon as they shot her. She could've died!"

"Then you'd be dead, Hino Rei! He would have shot you right in the brain."

"So? That bullet could have gotten her heart, or pierced a lung, or something!"

"Well it didn't."

"But it could have, and she'd be dead in those critical seconds."

"Your dad would have died, too!"

"Fine, Aino Minako is always right, and I'm just being irrational."

She heard footsteps and tried to move away from the door but couldn't get far enough away in time as Rei swung the door open and narrowly missed smacking Usagi's forehead with the doorknob. It was obvious that she had been eavesdropping.

So she embraced it. "You _are_ being irrational," she whispered.

Rei shut the door behind her, leaned back against it, and slid down, until she was sitting against the floor with her legs bent in front of her. She sighed. "I know. I'm going to have to apologize to Minako." She rolled her eyes. "Apologizing is all I ever do."

"That's not true." Usagi paused. "Well it's a little bit true, but you only have to apologize so much because you take decisive action and make up your mind quickly and sometimes it doesn't work out. But then there are the times that people would be dead if you hadn't acted."

Rei frowned. "I couldn't do anything to prevent you from being shot, though."

Usagi sighed and scrambled over the floor to lean back against the door next to Rei. "Let's play a game. It's called Usagi Will Show Rei That She's Being Too Negative. All you have to do is state things that happened today."

Rei laughed. "I don't think that name's going to catch on. Okay, things that happened today: You got shot and are in a lot of pain."

"I survived and it won't last forever."

"My father was held at gunpoint by a crazy man."

"He survived plus your dad showed you he's at least sometimes a good man."

"We didn't catch the High Priest."

"But the cops caught a lot of his Followers and we'll catch him next time."

"What about that" – Rei cut herself off mid-sentence – "Nope, I guess that's it. You're right. I was being too negative."

They fell silent. Usagi frowned into the darkness. Rei had decidedly not mentioned that Follower that the High Priest had killed and Usagi knew she wasn't going to. There wasn't really an upside to that. The only comfort they could draw at all –

"We'll remember him, and we'll remember that before he shot me, he hesitated."

She leaned against Rei, closed her eyes, and smiled when she heard Rei's whispered "Thank you".

* * *

_More recently, when they saved Mamoru and Yuuichirou from the High Priest_

Sailor Moon quickly took in the sight before her. Tuxedo Mask in the centre of a pillar of fire. Sailor Jupiter and Yuuichirou, getting overwhelmed by Followers as they tried to stand their ground. Sailor Venus on her hands and knees in a puddle of blood. Sailor Mars, lying on her back, about to get murdered by the High Priest.

Priority identified. She flung her tiara and managed to land a clean hit, the knife flying from the High Priest's hands.

For a second she was shocked. She had just saved Sailor Mars! She would rub it in her face _forever_. The only thing that would have made this better would be if she had saved her by taking a blast for her or something similar.

She had little time to bask in her glory as Sailor Mercury beside her launch an attack. Right. The battle. With their bolstered numbers they were sure to win, and her confidence only grew when Neptune and Uranus joined them.

But Hamilton appeared and he killed the High Priest and Sailor Jupiter knocked Sailor Mars out and all that was left to do was to discuss _how to dispose of the body_. She felt shaken. She couldn't join the conversation, not when the others were using such business-like tones and words about a man's death. DNA, police investigation, closure; meanwhile, all she could do was stare at the dead man with his throat slit wide open, and at Sailor Mars unconscious on the ground beside him.

Yuuichirou hadn't said a word either. He kept looking at Venus and Jupiter, whose injuries looked terrible as Sailor Venus basically held her stomach in with a hand and Sailor Jupiter's makeshift bandages stained to a dark red almost immediately. He kept looking at Watanabe, mutilated, dead. Then he looked at Sailor Mars and started to cry silently. He wiped away the tears but they kept streaming down his face. Sailor Moon had to look away, it was weird to see him cry, even though he had always been the sensitive type, he was still a grown man. If he cried at this, how could he possible handle this lifestyle?

The others had made their decision. Uranus hoisted up Watanabe's corpse and she and Neptune disappeared to wherever. The rest followed them soon after. Sailor Jupiter moved to pick up Sailor Mars but she stepped back to fetch Mamoru instead when she noticed Yuuichirou's twitching hands. Yuuichirou stepped forward instead and scooped Sailor Mars up.

She'd never be able to lift Mamoru, he was so much taller and heavier than her; Rei was only a little taller and heavier, she could lift her, but it would be a struggle.

Sailor Venus laid a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry. Even though you're too tiny and feeble to carry them, they love you anyway."

Sailor Moon scowled, even though what Sailor Venus had said was true. True, but not precise, because those two didn't just love her. They were in love with her.

* * *

_Now_

For her, sometimes, the lines blurred. How could she be _in_ love with both of them? She felt guilty at the thought. Mamoru and Rei would never have such a problem. For some reason, they were adamantly convinced that they were deeply in love with her and only her; meanwhile all she could do was waffle and wax philosophical about love and its manifestations.

She wanted to share, partly for selfish reasons, yes. There were many people out there, all with their own stories and personalities and ways of being and little quirks that she cherished finding in everyone. She wanted to see, to learn, to find out more about everyone, to understand others to their cores, something that was, she thought, only possible with a certain intensity and longevity of relationship.

But mostly she wanted to share because she had so much to give and so many people seemed to want a part of her. Inexplicably a number of men and women wanted her, and who was she to deny them? Her love was not a limited resource. She found it easy to love and if it made others happy to have her affections, there was no reason not to give it.

Rei clearly disagreed and Usagi understood. At first she had been jealous of girls who got close to Mamoru, because he was hers, hers, only hers – but what had love to do with possessiveness? She knew well enough that Mamoru would always love her and what difference did it make if others shared his life as well? She still got flare-ups, sometimes, those moments were her mind screamed _mine!_, especially now, with Yuuichirou back in Rei's life, but she knew, in her heart, that you could never have all of a person, and she was fine with that.

She was _pretty _sure she was fine with it.

* * *

PART II

_Now_

It had been a long time since they had met anywhere but at any of their homes.

Now the need for an independent meeting place had arisen once again. They racked their brains for places they could go but in the end there was only one place they kept coming back to.

The Hikawa Jinja had not changed much since Rei had left at the end of high school, when her grandfather had moved to the countryside to get away from Tokyo's air pollution. It was under new management, and there was no Hino presence in the building, but it remained a Shinto shrine, dedicated to the gods, an isle of peace in a bustling city.

Of course, they could not enter the shrine itself. They had to settle for a grove of trees that hid them away on the grounds surrounding the shrine. Not an ideal place, but it served their purposes well enough.

"Her story checks out," Artemis said. Minako and Michiru had recounted their encounter with Accra to Luna and Artemis, who had immediately started researching and getting in touch with their contacts. The doings of House Massalia were difficult to discover, largely because…"After Accra takes over a planet, nobody hears from that planet again. Either she eliminates the entire population – which would be a little pointless – or everyone is brainwashed into a happy slave." He leapt off of Minako's shoulder and paced on the ground. "On the other hand, a very few people manage to escape Hamilton's planets, and they tell of a very dark place with brutal slavery and death. But there's no brainwashing."

Five of the Senshi were in their regular forms. Minako, Setsuna, and Hotaru sat on the ground, legs crossed. Haruka and Michiru sat on a nearby tree branch, letting their legs swing in the air. The other four plus Tuxedo Mask had transformed and stayed standing, ready to leave at a moment's notice. It seemed that Accra had not yet found out the identities of Moon, Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, or Tuxedo Mask, and they were not going to let her do so.

"We've got to target one or the other. They're too powerful to fight both at once," Luna said. "So who to attack?"

"Accra," nine out of ten of them said; only Sailor Moon replied with "Hamilton".

Minako had to smile. So typical of their princess. "Sailor Moon, think of it this way. What's the worst case scenario of a world under Hamilton's rule? People dead or enslaved. What's the worst case scenario of a world under Accra? People brainwashed, indefinitely. Put simply: would you rather be dead, or brainwashed?"

"Brainwashed," Sailor Moon said, casting anxious looks at Mamoru. She turn to the other's expectantly. Haruka spoke for all of them: "Dead," she said, with a shrug.

"I suggest great caution, however," Sailor Mercury warned. "Hamilton is conniving enough to come up with some elaborate scheme to get us on his side, and will kill someone to do so."

"Then it's decided." Minako stood up. "We'll fight. We'll wait and watch and when the time is right we'll strike against Accra. But we'll be very, very wary of Hamilton."

* * *

Rei mulled it over.

She didn't trust either Accra or Hamilton, or she would have signed up with one or the other already for the extra powers Jupiter, Venus, Neptune and Uranus had gained. More power, she needed more power. How could she get it? When had they grown stronger? When they had needed to get stronger, when people's lives were on the line. She couldn't engineer something like that. It wasn't something that happened artificially. It just came to them. It was a very dangerous way of going about fights.

She stared at the ceiling, then at her alarm clock. It was late already, she'd go in to her morning meeting bleary-eyed and halfway asleep. She had the sense that maybe now was the time to shut down, to put her business on hold to concentrate on fighting evil. She grabbed her phone and sent Shizuka an e-mail. "Execute Plan Bare Essentials. Reduce to skeleton staff in main building. Set up meetings with key shareholders. Fwd to Minako and Setsuna." She put her phone aside and stared at the ceiling again.

When Rei couldn't sleep she liked to imagine the Sailor Senshi in different scenarios. Who would be the one to actually be surprised by a surprise birthday party? Makoto. If they were to make a Gangnam-style parody, whose video would get the most hits? Michiru and Haruka. Maybe Minako?

Sometimes the scenarios turned bleak. If she had to pick two people not named Rei and Mamoru to protect Usagi, who would she pick? First she'd pick a powerhouse defender. All the Senshi were strong, but to protect Usagi, only cosmic-level magic would do. Sailor Pluto, preferably, with her ability to stop time, though Sailor Saturn's world-ending powers would do in a pinch. The second slot would go to Aino Minako. Not that she trusted her other friends less or that she thought Minako was more dutiful, loyal, and dedicated than they were; but if it came down to it and she had to go it alone, Rei knew that Minako could persevere with a little less hardship than the rest of them.

Usagi could go it alone, too, she thought, which amazed her, given how night-and-day Minako and Usagi were, despite their superficial resemblances.

She thought about this and drifted off to sleep and she had a nightmare again, the vision of a Tokyo destroyed, and this time Pluto and Saturn's lifeless bodies joined Tuxedo Mask and her own when they fell from the sky.

When she woke up she phoned Hotaru first, to warn her. Hotaru sounded a little frightened if her wavering voice was any indication but she thanked Rei anyway. Then she called Setsuna, who she didn't need to warn.

Instead, she demanded answers.

"What do you know?"

Setsuna sighed. "You know I can't tell you, Rei-san. I will tell you this, though. Even the best outcome of this whole ordeal is less than ideal. Prepare yourself."

* * *

Just two weeks later Aino Minako woke up from a nap with a painful burn searing her chest. She yanked her shirt off and looked at her skin. It looked normal. The pain was coming from inside of her, like something was grabbing her insides and pulling.

Pulling her in a very definite direction.

Accra's call, she surmised. She gasped for breath. If she had known that this was what a deal with Accra involved…she still would have done it. She reached for her communicator. "All Senshi follow my signal. Accra's attacking. Emergency level red, auto-repeat indefinitely." She quickly transformed and followed the pull until she reached a commercial area of Tokyo.

It was noon on a weekday. The place was teeming with people. She swallowed back the panic she felt when she saw Accra floating in the air just a little bit above a few highrises.

Sailor Neptune was already there, standing on a rooftop beside Lady Accra. Sailor Venus joined her.

"Sailor Venus, thank you for finally joining us. How did Sailor Neptune get here so much more quickly? You live closer."

"I don't know," she replied, side-eyeing Sailor Neptune. The Outer Senshi's timing had always been a mystery. Sailor Neptune simply smiled.

"In any case, today, the plan is to round all of these people up and turn them all into members of my devoted army." She paused and looked around. "It shouldn't be too difficult, assuming, of course, that Hamilton doesn't show up."

She looked at Sailors Neptune and Venus and raised her eyebrows. The two Senshi exchanged an uneasy look. "Well? Get to it!" She snapped her fingers and her army appeared on the street-level, wielding syringes filled with the magical virus. They attacked as soon as they found their footing. The people around them screamed and ran, pushed others out of the way, trampled without care. Neptune and Venus both cringed and were just about to hop down to street level until Hamilton appeared in front of them.

Sailors Jupiter and Uranus followed closely behind, leaping onto a building just a few feet behind him.

"As expected," Lady Accra said. "Neptune, Venus, I will take care of Lord Hamilton. You two keep your _friends _busy." With a scream she launched herself at Hamilton. Hamilton neatly sidestepped her attack and cast a beam of power toward Sailor Venus, who flung herself to the ground just in time to avoid it.

"You want to play dirty?" They looked up to see Lady Accra far above them. She held a man by the scruff of his shirt. He screamed at her to let him go. She complied.

Sailor Jupiter leapt into action, jumping into the air and catching the man mid-fall. Still she had no way to stop the actual fall itself and gravity pulled her down. She was sure she'd break her legs in the landing but a golden chain suddenly appeared in front of her. It was a difficult maneuver, she realized, but she had to do it – she held onto the man with one arm and with the other reached out for the chain, swinging to land safely on a lower building. No legs broken, nobody dead – a success, as far as she and Sailor Venus were concerned –

But not for Accra, who screamed bloody murder. "Sailor Venus, you should have let her fall! Kill her, or everyone will find out that Sailor Venus is – "

She was cut of mid-sentence by an energy blast from Lord Hamilton. She grunted and flipped backward end over end through the air, coming to a stop only when she smashed into the side of a building. She growled. "Venus, Neptune, you kill your comrades or I'll make good on my threat."

Until that point, Sailors Neptune and Uranus had stayed standing on their respective rooftops, observing the action and doing nothing more. Accra's threat and Venus's agonized eyes made Neptune jump across the gap between the buildings and punch Uranus in the nose. Uranus' head snapped back.

"Ouch, hey, Michiru – "

"Sorry," she said, but she followed her punch up with a knee to Uranus's gut. "Deep Submerge!"

Sailor Jupiter landed in front of Sailor Uranus just in time to take the brunt of the impact.

Sailor Venus appeared seemingly from nowhere after the attack dissipated and a laser beam seared though Jupiter's bodice. Jupiter grit her teeth.

"Supreme thunder dragon!"

Venus and Neptune both flinched as a huge dragon made of lightning appeared above them and shot down at them, rapidly streaming toward the ground. It hit them full on and the shock had them screaming in pain.

"Hey, Jupiter," Uranus hissed, "Want to dial back a bit before your face meets my fist."

"It was an accident! It wasn't supposed to be full power." Sailor Jupiter grimaced when she saw Sailor Venus and Neptune shaking off the aftereffects of her attack. "When the hell are the others going to get here?"

* * *

When they arrived at the scene of the action, Sailor Mercury and Tuxedo Mask immediately leapt to the ground people to try to contain Accra's army.

"I'm thinking we should call the actual army," Sailor Mars hazarded, looking at the chaos below. Tuxedo Mask and Sailor Mercury were obviously having a hard time of it. "Maybe a few missiles will take down both Hamilton and Accra."

"Tokyo is too high-density to risk that," Luna said. "There's sure to be collateral damage. And why are you just standing there? Get moving!"

But Sailor Mars remained rooted to her spot, along with Sailor Moon, Saturn, and Pluto.

"We didn't think this through enough," Sailor Pluto said. "Should we make it obvious that we are planning to take down Accra first? Should we attack both of them for now?"

"Or we could attack Uranus and Jupiter, make it seem like we're on her side for now, and turn on her as soon as we get the chance?" Sailor Saturn suggested.

Sailor Mars looked uneasy. "When has trying to trick our opponents ever worked? Let's just attack Accra and – " she stopped. Her neck prickled. She shoved Sailor Moon aside and the pair narrowly avoided being hit by a blast from Hamilton. "Screw it. Let's get both of them."

It was an inefficient option, she knew, but they had to do something, anything! "Burning Mandala!" she yelled out. But the attack hardly fazed Hamilton, just as her attacks had hardly fazed Accra. She heard Sailors Saturn and Pluto call out attacks, saw Hamilton and Accra stop fighting each other and re-direct their attention toward the Senshi.

Dammit. Stronger, she had to get stronger, Sailor Moon was up here battling as well and she had to be able to stay by her side, especially with Tuxedo Mask down below with Sailor Mercury dealing with Accra's army.

Sailor Saturn, Pluto, and Moon's attacks had slowly but surely drifted to being focused solely on Accra, and she noticed that the others had slowed down their fighting and were stealing glances at Accra, trying to find the right moment to join in and take her down –

But Hamilton had to ruin it all, of course, because how could they ever be presented with an obvious choice when they could be presented with a complicated one.

"Accra, you are not going to brainwash these people!" he declared. "Anyone would rather be dead than be under your service!" He drew back, spread his arms, and cast a giant blast headed directly toward a skyscraper. It smashed into the side and sent chunks of concrete and steel supports tumbling to the ground, dozens of floor below, crushing people underneath the materials, and some people in the building were clutching to the crumbling floors, hanging on with their fingers, desperately trying not to fall –

The Senshi immediately stopped attacking.

"You really are a moron, Hamilton," Accra said, laughing. "You've made your allies very unhappy with you."

She was right, Rei thought, breaking into a run to try to get to the crumbling skyscraper as quickly as possible. All the Sailor Senshi barring one would rather be dead than brainwashed, but what right had they to make that decision for others? None, none at all, she knew, and she knew the rest thought so as well, because though the impulse was strong to go beat down on Hamilton, they had all chosen to come to the rescue of those stuck in the building and trapped underneath the destruction.

She reached the building first and grabbed a man hanging on by the last joint of his fingertips. She pulled him upward onto the floor and helped him to his feet. Sailor Jupiter had joined her and she grabbed the man and transported him to safer ground. There – she spotted a woman whose legs had been crushed by a steel beam. She stamped down the nausea that arose when she pulled the beam off the woman's now-useless legs. Sailor Jupiter was by her side again in an instant, and carried the woman away. There were so many people up here, trying not to die, and she couldn't imagine how Tuxedo Mask and Sailor Mercury were doing on the ground, trying to free the people trapped beneath rubble. She turned and noticed Sailor Moon on her knees, speaking softly with a man who was clearly near death. Little could be done for him, she knew, except receive his final words. She felt heat behind her and was sent flying into a wall when a blast hit her. She shook off the pain and looked back outside. Accra and Hamilton were still fighting each other, stray blasts going every which way.

Another man was knocked unconscious by a blast. He lay in the middle of electric wires giving off dangerous sparks. Sailor Jupiter moved to neutralize them, carefully, slowly touching each cable. Sailor Venus was standing on a beam with a jagged end from having been broken in half. It jutted out from the building and gave her the perfect perch to grab people with her chains and pull them to safety before they fell to the earth below. Sailor Uranus had joined Sailor Mercury and Tuxedo Mask down below, keeping Accra's army away while the other two worked to free people from the rubble. Sailor Saturn and Sailor Pluto were rescuing people as Sailor Mars was, on the floors above and beneath hers.

It made her sick, that this was all they could do. She pulled another woman free from a heavy oak desk. She, at least, seemed not to have suffered any major injuries and was fit enough to thank her profusely. Her thanks only left Sailor Mars feeling numb.

She moved to join Sailor Moon, who was on her knees next to a woman's corpse. She held a photo in her hand, the woman next to a man and two small children, all with beaming smiles on their faces.

"Sailor Mars," she said, "Hamilton and Accra…there is no good in them at all, is there?"

No good at all. The battle had ended abruptly when Hamilton started to gain the upper hand and Accra disappeared along with her army.

* * *

AN:I had to rewatch some Sailor Moon season 1 episodes to write this chapter. I love Mamoru, he's such a jerk, but I think he gets better after the first R arc. I love Rei (obviously) and re-watching these early episodes just confirms to me that she's always been a fabulous BAMF.

And we're done with the _Then_. Next two chapters are mostly written so expect another update soon. I can definitely say this story will end at 18 chapters, plus an epilogue.

The next few chapters are bleak. Especially the next chapter. Not Pretty.

Thank you **StormBrisingr** and **Gear001**!


	15. A Shallow Pain

CHAPTER THIRTEEN SUMMARY

Usagi thinks about the past, thinks of love and Mamoru and Rei and of being a Sailor Senshi.

And with Minako and Michiru forced onto Accra's side, the Senshi make a plan to take Accra down, but find it more difficult than they had hoped.

**CHAPTER FOURTEEN**

When Ami arrived at her apartment Makoto hastily told Matthew to hide all his 'materials' and to make himself scarce. He followed her wishes. Unfortunately for Makoto he left one of his doujins in plain view and Ami, of course, was quick to spot it. She scanned the cover, blushed bright red and raised her eyebrows.

"Mako-chan…Neptune and Uranus? Really?"

"They sell really well at the cons," she argued, hastily stuffing the doujin into a desk drawer. "He's got to earn a living. Anyway," she added, sounding a little disturbed, "They asked for copies."

Ami smothered a laugh. "Really? If there's any Sailor Mercury nudity flying around I'd like to at least see it."

"No, none! I told him Sailor Mercury was off-limits as a subject. And so is Sailor Saturn, because that's just wrong."

She invited Ami to take a seat on the couch and bustled about the kitchen to get their tea prepared. A day off from worrying about how to fend off would-be planetary conquerors was exactly what she needed. She and Ami had agreed that they would avoid talking about Senshi business at all today. If Makoto's brain hurt from thinking so hard to try to find a solution to their alien invader problem, she was sure Ami's brain must be exhausted.

"What about the others?"

"Setsuna, Mamoru, and Minako don't mind so Sailor Pluto, Tuxedo Mask and Sailor Venus have the go-ahead." She coughed. "So, there's a lot of very strange pairings. And I'll let him keep drawing Sailor Jupiter and see how long it takes for him to figure out it's me." She took a seat beside Ami and laid her head back against the headrest. She smiled. "As for Rei and Usagi, they both officially insist that he only draws fluff of them but they keep secretly asking me for the other kind as well."

Ami smiled. Makoto had been away for most of what she considered their at this point frankly overblown drama. She told her everything that had happened between the pair in her absence, and all the little things she had noticed, too, the pulling away and getting back closer again, the usual bickering and making up, the steamrolling over their feelings, or rather, the total failure to steamroll their feelings. Her final verdict: "I hate to say this, but they're being stupid. They'll never be happy apart. They need to get together and figure out a way to stay together afterward."

Makoto agreed, mostly because of her new 'take action because you kind of have to anyway' outlook on life. She told Ami how she had found this outlook. She started with the difficulties she had faced when she had first left Japan, how lonely she had been, how totally out of her comfort zone she had been, how eventually she'd gotten used to being a vagabond, how she thought she'd want to keep going from place to place except she thought maybe she'd miss them too much. Finally, she told her the truth about how she had interrogated Henry King, how it had gotten her answers but how she wasn't too proud of how she had gone about it.

Ami commiserated appropriately. She couldn't imagine herself doing something similar, but then she didn't have the personality or the strength, and she had never been in quite the same situation that Makoto had been in. Still Ami couldn't help herself. Her final comment in reply to the Henry King story was: "You used Kinomoto as your pseudonym? What if he had been a Card Captor Sakura fan?"

Makoto's dejected expression cracked into a smile. "You know I never even thought about that. I really missed you, Ami-chan."

"I missed you too, Mako-chan."

"I also missed you, Mako-chan," Minako said. The two looked up, startled. Minako, with her building-scaling ways, had suddenly appeared in Makoto's living room. "And Ami-chan's right. You have to consider every possibility."

Ami was giving Minako her best impression of a death glare. Minako tried to brush it off, but found to her surprise that she couldn't.

"What's wrong?" She looked from Ami to a confused-looking Makoto and the answer occurred to her. "Oh. Well she didn't tell you she was in contact with me, either. It's her fault as much as mine that you were in the dark about her whereabouts."

Makoto looked guilty but Ami cast Makoto a reassuring smile. Minako smothered a sigh. She was obviously not going to convince Ami of their shared culpability anytime soon.

"I'm sorry. Now, I need your brains. About Accra and Hamilton…" She trailed off when she saw their shoulders slump a little bit, a rare occurrence for both Makoto and Ami, who were posture nerds, what with their physical training and health fixation. Maybe they were tired of thinking about Accra and Hamilton. She thought of coming back some other time but the pain in her chest made her decide to stay.

"Sorry, but Accra's calling me, and I need you to think about what I could possibly tell her."

"Tell her we're not cool with killing random civilians," Makoto immediately said.

Ami shook her head. "I doubt you'll be able to make any demands. Tell her you were trying to fool Jupiter and Uranus by not fighting at your full potential this time so you can crush them next time".

The pain at her chest pulled harder. Time to go before Accra got really pissed. "Perfect, thanks, bye!"

* * *

Michiru was glad Haruka was not around when she felt Accra's pull clutch at her chest. She always struggled to breathe from the great pain the pull caused, like someone had grabbed her heart and stretched it out. She took a deep breath, transformed, and moved. She arrived at the location – some creepy cave outside of town, of course – at the same time as Sailor Venus did.

"Venus, Neptune." Accra barely acknowledged them, her voice low and flat. Neptune and Venus exchanged glances that would have read as nervous on anyone else but on them read simply as concerned.

"I am disappointed by how the previous battle went. I can tell your hearts were not into fighting Uranus and Jupiter."

Venus had a very difficult time not pulling a _no duh_ eyebrow raise. Instead she replied with Ami's suggested line.

Accra's steely glare almost made Venus look away, but she kept steady eye contact. "So next time, you'll kill them?"

Venus considered this. "If the timing is right."

Accra turned to Sailor Neptune. "And what say you?"

Neptune cleared her throat. "Lady Accra, I will level with you. There are times when killing is necessary. But I absolutely refuse to kill or even seriously injure Sailor Uranus, under any circumstances."

"I should have realized. Sadly, this makes you useless to me." Accra raised her hand and aimed at Neptune. Venus stepped in front of her.

"Sailor Neptune won't, but I will." Sailor Venus said. "However, I've reconsidered. I will only do so in exchange for something."

Accra smiled. "I see you have learned from your comrade. Yes, fine, Uranus and Jupiter are annoying me and I'd like to see them wiped off this planet. What is your price?"

"A life for a life. Promise me you won't kill myself or Sailor Moon if I kill them."

For a moment there was silence. Accra drifted to the other side of the cavern and stared at her reflection in a nearby pool of water. Little fish skittered about in the water, disturbing the image. Finally, she said: "I can spare your life, but not Sailor Moon's. Choose another."

Venus closed her eyes. Well great. Now who could she possibly choose? She was tempted to say Tuxedo Mask, but she had the feeling that request would also be denied. Sailor Neptune?

"Do you trust me?" Neptune whispered in her ear. Venus nodded. "Then say Sailor Saturn. Please."

Venus froze. Accra could likely kill Sailor Neptune right now and Sailor Venus would be able to do little to protect her. But if she was asking Venus to protect her adopted daughter, then who was she to deny her?

"Then I choose Sailor Saturn," she said.

"Very well," Accra replied, "Though if you or Saturn try to kill me, you're both fair game." She turned again and paused. "Sailor Neptune, you're not totally useless to me yet. I doubt Venus can kill Uranus and Jupiter on her own. You do not have to deliver the killing blow, but you must at least help Venus."

Accra disappeared a moment later and Neptune breathed a sigh of relief.

"I thought she might kill me," she commented lightly.

"I thought so, too," Venus said. "I wonder if she'll actually keep this promise not to kill me or Saturn?"

Neptune frowned, perplexed. "I wasn't expecting this, but my intuition tells me that yes, she will keep her promises."

* * *

"You told her what?" Haruka demanded.

"I had to! Or she'd have killed us on the spot," Minako argued back. Haruka leaned back and sighed.

The Senshi were once again meeting at the Hikawa Jinja grounds. Minako's news had not gone over well, but it seemed obvious that she had had no other choice.

"Fine. So it's do or die this time," Haruka said. "We'll pretend fight for a little bit but as soon as Accra seems a little bit off guard we'll attack." She turned to the rest of them. "You guys have to give us the signal, though."

"What if Hamilton starts harming civilians again?" Mars objected. "It wasn't Accra that killed people."

Haruka shook her head. "I hate to say this, but we'll have to ignore him if he does and just focus on Accra. Otherwise she'll remain a threat to Michiru and Minako and I doubt we could take Hamilton down without the."

Sailor Moon looked a little hesitant. "We got flattened the first time we fought Accra, though. Even with your extra power, do you think we'll be able to take her down?"

Jupiter did not look too sure. "When Haruka and I fought her," she said, "We really went full out, and yet…"

And yet she knocked Uranus out and probably would have won against Jupiter, too, nobody said.

"If it's a matter of power…" Mercury paused for a moment. "How did Hamilton give you two your powers?"

Jupiter shrugged. "He pointed his cane at us and said some weird words."

"Weird words? Maybe it's some House Massalia thing. I'll contact Artemis and Luna. What about you, Minako-chan, Michiru-san?"

Minako frowned. "I don't remember Accra doing anything. Maybe she just needs to think it. Is her magic stronger than Hamilton's?"

"She did beat him the first time," Sailor Mars said.

"Hamilton was starting to win the second time but she must have been injured while battling Jupiter and Uranus," Tuxedo Mask added.

A strange thought occurred to Mercury. "I'm going to have to ask Luna and Artemis how far back the stories of House Massalia go." She sounded very reluctant to say what she said next, as if she had to force it out. "Accra has made it clear that she is very pain averse, but she seems certain the she'll stay alive no matter what any of us do."

Slowly but surely an ill look passed through the Sailor Senshi as Mercury's implication became clear to all of them.

"Are you saying she might be…immortal?" Sailor Moon finally said.

Mercury winced. "I really, really hope not. Mako-chan, Haruka-san, could you maybe see if Hamilton can tell you anything about that?"

The two nodded. "Next time we see him, we'll ask what exactly he's putting us up against."

* * *

Rei woke up with a scream.

She had had the vision again, of Tokyo destroyed. Like last time, she had seen the bodies of Tuxedo Mask, Sailor Saturn, Sailor Pluto, and her own fall before her. This time, however, there was one more addition to the lot: Sailor Mercury.

She pressed her hand against her chest and tried to calm her heart rate. Please, at the very least, let that be everyone, she thought. It would still leave Venus, Jupiter, Neptune and Uranus active and able to protect her, four strong warriors. One leader, one person who would defend everyone no matter what, and two ruthless, sharp-witted women who'd happily go to hell if they could drag their opponent down with them.

Yes, they were good, and they were all the ones who had gotten power upgrades. She fixated on that, again. Power. Hopefully the cats could get them some answers. Frustration took its hold. She ran her fingers through her hair and pulled at the strands tightly. Stronger, maybe if she and the other four could get strong, they wouldn't have to die and leave her with only half her force and besides that…

She really didn't want to die AGAIN.

Damned psychopaths.

She picked up her phone and glared at the time. 3:04, bright white glowing numbers. She spent a moment debating whether to call Ami but she seriously doubted she was asleep.

She called her and told her "I had a vision that you died so you should be extra careful" and why did she have to be the one to tell people about their impending dooms? But that was her cross to bear, she supposed, as a freaking psychic. Ami halfheartedly thanked her.

After the phone call, she tip-toed to the kitchen to get a glass of water, but she stopped on the way. Yuuichirou had stayed over every night since she had first had the vision. He slept on the couch with a sheathed katana lying against his chest, the hilt clutched in his hand. Where had he even gotten the katana? And anyway, she had insisted time and again, swords and bullets usually did very little against their magical enemies, who tended to see such weapons as curiosities at best, more frequently as useless toys.

But he in turn insisted that he'd be able to help, that he had to be able to do something to help Tokyo, to help them, to help her, and if it made him feel better, so be it.

Except that it put him in danger. She knelt beside him and shook him awake. He was on his feet in an instant, sword drawn and swinging downward. She had enough time to roll her eyes, somersault out of the way, and watch the blade cut through the imported Persian carpet that decorated the living room floor.

"Rei-chan! I'm so sorry!" He dropped the sword and rushed over to her. "Are you okay? Did I cut you anywhere? I could have killed you! Oh my god…"

"Relax, Yuuichirou-kun. I'm fine, and you could not have killed me." She stood up. "But this should show you that you really need to leave town. I'll be okay here. You, on the other hand, won't be safe."

"I can protect you," he said, drawing himself up to his full height. He crossed his arms. His shoulders were rather broad and he cut an impressive figure but it meant nothing to her, not when she could bring fire to life with a flick of her fingers.

She thought of maybe saying a few words of appreciation for his display of stubborn courage but decided there was only one way to get the simple fact through his thick head: "No, you can't."

He dropped his stance, knees bent, balancing himself with his legs spread apart, his hands curled into fists. "I can. I can prove it."

She managed to bite back a laugh. "Okay."

He waited. She waited. He raised his eyebrows. "Aren't you going to transform?"

"Nope."

This clearly irritated him. He drew back his fist and swung it forward. She sidestepped it and he hissed in pain as his fist made contact with the brick wall behind her.

"That was just a warm-up," he declared. "I did train in a few martial arts." With that he whipped forward and kicked, aiming for her stomach. She caught his foot and flipped it, sending him to the floor.

"I know," – she blocked a jab – "but how many fights" – she ducked to avoid a roundhouse kick, stepped forward, and pushed him, while his foot was still in the air. He fell to the floor yet again – "have you actually been in?" He leapt to his feet and lunged forward to tackle her. She let him catch her and immediately poked his eyes with two fingers. He yelped and clutched at his eyes. "I've lost count of how many I've been in," she stated.

He whimpered. "That wasn't fair."

"There is no such thing as a dirty trick in a life and death battle," she stated flatly, "Which is always the kind of battle I'm in."

He growled and lunged forward again. She leapfrogged over him, spun around, wrapped her arm around his neck and pulled them both the ground. He pulled at her arm. She held steadfast. Her lips were right next to his ear when she whispered: "I don't ever want you to be in a battle like that."

He gasped for air. "Then why do you have to be?" He sniffled and blinked away the tears that threatened to form. "I don't want you to die."

"Do you think I want to?" She let him go. He scrambled to turn around and tried to pin her down. She kneed his solar plexus and spun them until she was sitting with one knee on the ground, one on his stomach. She pressed down, but let go as soon as she noticed him really struggle for air. "I already explained to you. It's my job."

He grimaced. "You already have a job. You don't have to be a warrior princess, too."

She leaned back. "I don't _have_ to be. But I heard a calling, and I chose to answer it."

"But why? Why is it so important to you to be Sailor Mars?"

"For love and justice," she immediately replied.

"I thought you were the Senshi of love and passion. 'Love and justice'? What does that even mean?" He glared up at her. "What's the real reason?"

"To defend and advance love and justice. That's it." She crossed her arms.

"No, what's the real reason?"

Teeth bared she grabbed his collar and shook him. "Dammit, idiot, it's for love and justice and I kind of hate you for insinuating that I have any ulterior motives." She stopped shaking him but clutched his collar even more tightly. "I wanted to belong. I wanted to feel useful. I wanted to find a reason for my powers. But when it comes down to it, I wanted to fight for what was right to the fullest extent of my abilities. Still do. In the end, it's always for love and justice."

He sighed and grabbed her hands, pulled them free from his collar. He set them onto his shoulders before he set his own hands onto her waist. "I know. I'm sorry." He paused. "I know," he repeated.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and lowered her head until her face was a few inches away from his. "I don't understand why you love me."

"Me neith – " his words were cut short when she pressed her lips to his. It was a comfort to her, he felt steady beneath her with his hard planes and angles, and he seemed to absorb some of the body heat that constantly exuded from her, she always felt too hot, a low burn beneath her skin –

It was all the exact opposite for him, of course, he felt himself heat up, felt her own softness despite all her muscle and strength, she had always seemed like a force barely contained, a raging storm, despite her best efforts to calm herself –

His hands slid up to her breasts, she moaned, they slid lower and up her thighs, she slapped her hand against his chest and drew back. "Stop." He pulled is hands away, and did not groan or complain. He tried to pull her in to hold her, at least, but she removed herself entirely. She had a pained expression on her face, but he knew that though he wasn't really the cause, there was also nothing he could do to turn it into a smile, to help her feel better.

He was useless.

* * *

So maybe she had left part of the story out when she had first recounted her vision to the rest of them. The Tokyo destroyed part she had explained in great detail. The Tuxedo Mask and Sailor Mars death part, not so much, and neither she nor Pluto nor Saturn had bothered to mention their deaths, either.

She should have known, though, that Ami would see through her. She was immediately suspicious and asked her straightforward questions and she couldn't lie to Ami, partially because she wasn't a good enough actress to lie to someone who was basically a sister to her, and partially because Ami lived and thrived on data, found solutions to problems using facts, alleviated her emotional turmoil by thinking things through. How could she deprive her of that?

"Am I the only one who died in your dream?" she asked.

"No," Rei replied.

"Who else?"

There wasn't really a way to dodge that. She tried the "You know, just a few others," tactic, but the mention of a 'few' only made Ami more insistent. "Fine. Me, Mamoru, Hotaru and Setsuna."

Ami closed her eyes and sighed. Of course it'd be the four who would never have an intention of telling anybody. "You did it again. Why, Rei-chan? You didn't keep the vision entirely secret this time, but you did omit some rather crucial facts."

Rei shook her head. "There's no reason to worry any of the others. My vision may not even come to pass, if we take the appropriate steps to prevent it."

Ami resisted asking how they were supposed to take the appropriate steps if they didn't know the details of what they were preventing. That might have worked on Hotaru, but Rei-types required a different approach. "Don't you think they would want to know, though? Don't you think they'd want a chance to prepare themselves? How do you think, for instance, that Haruka and Michiru would feel, if they found out that you knew that Hotaru and Setsuna were bound for death but hadn't told them?"

Terrible, Rei ceded.

Hotaru, Setsuna, and Mamoru agreed. The five called a meeting and the Senshi plus Tuxedo Mask met at the Hikawa Jinja in the dead of night.

Sailor Mars opened with an apology about not being completely honest before Sailor Mercury took the reins.

"According to Mars's vision, I will die," she said. She was immediately met with loud denials from Sailor Moon and Sailor Jupiter. "Hopefully this won't actually come to pass, but other than the additions of myself, Setsuna, and Hotaru to the body count, Mars's vision remains unchanged since the original one. We must change our course of…"

Her sentence remained unfinished as Haruka and Michiru swiveled to face Hotaru and Setsuna and Sailor Moon latched on to a crucial word.

"What do you mean, 'additions'? Who died in your original dream, Mars?"

Sailor Mars quickly answered, "Tuxedo Mask."

She very notably had not mentioned her own death, and she answered Tuxedo Mask's questioning look with a very subtle shake of her head.

Still Sailor Moon looked skeptical and she let her skepticism bleed through to her voice as she listed off the names. "So Tuxedo Mask, Sailor Saturn, Sailor Pluto, and Sailor Mercury."

"Three Sailor Senshi and Tuxedo Mask," Sailor Mars confirmed.

"Not Neptune, Uranus, Venus, Jupiter, or Mars."

"Not so far," she lied. She had practiced for this all day, had recorded her voice and adjusted it so it was steady and normal, had stared at herself in the mirror until she had perfected a neutral expression. Had it been enough to fool the person who knew her best of all?

Apparently. Sailor Moon whispered "Thank god" in a most relieved tone of voice, before she registered the rest of what she had learned. "Oh my god!" She turned to face Tuxedo Mask with a most horrified expression on her face. Tuxedo Mask remained grim-faced.

"We won't let that happen, Sailor Moon," he said. "We're not going to die."

* * *

They weren't going to die.

But they had to take it one step at the time.

First step: surviving the next battle.

They drove to farmland outside of the city to practice. Uranus, Jupiter, Venus and Neptune would have to fight each other and look like they meant it, but they would somehow have to manage not to actually get hurt.

Neptune and Jupiter were in the centre of the field they had claimed, choreographing their fight. The rest watched their mock fight from the side of the field.

"Okay, uppercut, jab, jab, duck, sidesweep – leap! – then I'll send some electricity your way."

Neptune shook her head. "No, let's do uppercut, jab, jab, duck, sideweep – leap! – then I send a Deep Submerge your way."

Jupiter frowned. "What? Why do I have to be the one to take the hit?"

"Because you're terrible at controlling the strength of your power! You'll hit me full blast. I, on the other hand, will keep it reined in."

"Fine."

They executed their choreography and the others exchanged uneasy glances. Jupiter merely stumbled backward after the Deep Submerge, an attack that should have sent her flying through the air. It was the least convincing fight they had ever seen and they had seen at least a few professional wrestling matches.

"That's terrible," Sailor Venus said. "Even if it doesn't hurt, you have to act like it does. Let a professional show you how." She waved Neptune and Jupiter off the field. She and Uranus took their places.

"Sailor Uranus," she said, "Your worst nightmare has arrived. Heralded by a new age, Sailor Venus, appearing fabulously, will be the cause of your demise!"

Uranus grimaced. "Appearing fabulously? Shut up or I'll make you." She lifted her fists.

"Go ahead and try! Venus Love-Me Chain!"

The chain whipped out at full speed but only someone who had seen the attack hundreds of times before, like the Sailor Senshi, could see that it was directed about half a foot to the left of Uranus. The extra space gave Uranus just enough time to dodge getting caught by the chain. She dived to her right at the last second, somersaulted, landed on her feet, and sprung backwards as a Crescent Beam took off a centimeter of her hair.

"I don't have as much hair to spare as you do, Sailor Venus. You'll pay for that centimeter! World Shaking!"

The blast of energy hurtled toward Sailor Venus and glanced her side, enough to make her yelp in pain and send her spinning backward. She threw herself onto the ground and hissed as she landed heavily.

"Is this really how a fight between them would go?" Jupiter asked.

"Unfortunately, I believe this is a rather accurate rendition," Neptune said.

"You haven't seen my full power yet, Sailor Venus. I won't be beaten by my _kouhai_."

"Kouhai?" Venus pulled herself upward. "Wait, I was Sailor V! Did you really start before me?"

This gave Uranus pause. Who had fought evil first? She tried to remember if she had seen any Sailor V media or merchandise around when she had first been drawn into the web of magic and monsters. Maybe it went something like Sailor Neptune, then Sailor V, then Sailor Uranus, then Tuxedo Mask, then Sailor Moon? Wait, Sailor Pluto would be the first.

The question occupied her mind long enough for a laser from Sailor Venus to hit her squarely in the chest. It didn't hurt as much as it should have, but it had enough momentum to send her flying backward through the air. That was the key, she thought, midway through her trajectory. In some ways, Sailor Venus was weirdly brilliant. They had to separate out the power from the momentum, something Sailor Venus must be an expert at with her chains that could hurt or rescue. As she landed she thought that Jupiter and herself would likely not be able to pull off such a separation, but she had to try. She leapt back to her feet.

"Space Sword Blaster!"

No, she had not quite managed the separation. Venus's eyes widened and she flung herself to the ground just in time to avoid the attack…

Which meant it hurtled directly toward Tuxedo Mask standing behind her. It caught him completely by surprise and he was flung several meters backward, crashing into the line of trees the farmers used as windbreaks.

Someone getting seriously injured was the exact opposite of the point of this training exercise. A powered-up Sailor Uranus attack against a Tuxedo Mask who was still not recovered from the last battle and who had not really been paying attention to Venus and Uranus' skirmish…it could very well have killed him. They rushed toward the crash site and surrounded him. He was stuck in the foliage of a tree, branches broken all about him. He was still conscious but he groaned in pain. Sailor Venus scrambled up the tree, wrapped her chain about him, and carefully lowered him into Sailor Moon's awaiting arms.

She lowered him to the ground and wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

"Tuxedo Mask, stay with me, you'll be alright," she said.

He opened his eyes and stared back into hers. "I'm okay, Usako."

"Does it hurt?"

He winced. "A little bit."

Sailor Uranus looked extremely contrite. "I'm so sorry, Tuxedo Mask."

"I'm so happy that you're okay." Sailor Moon pulled him closer and kissed him, quickly, gently, on the lips.

* * *

WHEN had this happened?

Overnight, after they had disclosed the rest of the contents of her nightmare vision?

It must have. Which meant that she had brought this on herself. Because of course she'd want to love Mamoru as much as possible during the time he was still alive. And she hadn't told her that she was also bound to die.

Damn it, damn it!

Sailor Mars thought she had been heartbroken all those times Usagi went out with those men and women who meant nothing at all, who were obviously there just for fun or to pass the time or for company. They all felt like stabs to her chest, but none of them compared at all to how she felt now, seeing Usagi kiss someone she really still loved after all this time. She knew she had no right to feel so devastated. She had no claim on her and never would. Maybe Mamoru had earned this, maybe he had been right all along, maybe by letting her go he had passed some secret test of love.

At the same time the sick feeling in her stomach confirmed to her that she had been right about her own feelings. She'd never be able to be with Usagi if she'd have to see Usagi involved with other people at the same time.

She tried very carefully to keep her breathing even, to not clench her fists, to not change her facial expression. It was difficult to do so, though, when she could feel the sympathetic glances she was getting from _everyone_ else.

She had to get out of here, get back to town, get back to her home, but it would be too awkward and obvious to leave so abruptly. She looked up and met Sailor Jupiter's gaze.

"I think that's enough for today," Sailor Jupiter said. "Tuxedo Mask, you'd better head back to Mercury's place."

* * *

When Rei arrived at her condo she looked around and realized that she had too much stuff. Where had the simple life of a shrine priestess gone? She looked at her watch, white gold and too heavy for her slim wrist, and thought of tossing it in the fire but Yuuichirou had given it to her, he probably wouldn't be happy. There was other stuff, though. She eyed the collection of fine wines and spirits in the kitchen.

The oldest vintages soon found their way down the drain. The only survivors were the latest vintages, the ones that hadn't cost exorbitant amounts. When she served them to visitors she'd lie and tell them they were French 1960 wines, and she'd see if any of them could figure out that she'd served them Canadian 2005.

The scotch soon joined the wine, swirling down the drain, amber mixing with red, turning into a muddy russet shade. Yuuichirou arrived a few bottles in and rushed toward her when he saw what she was doing. He grabbed her arm and held fast she struggled to pour the remainder of the bottle down the drain.

"That's 50 year old scotch," he scolded, automatically, but he was quick to soften his voice when he noticed the tear tracks on her cheeks. "What happened?"

What had happened?

She tried to answer him but where could she even begin?

She could tell him the whole saga of her relationship with Usagi, how terrified she had been when she finally figured out that she was in love with her, because she knew that Usagi and Mamoru were destined to be together, and she was bound to be a loser stuck on the outside for all time.

But it wasn't even just the Usagi and Mamoru thing, because while that felt like she was being ripped apart, her guts felt like they were being twisted ragged by all the worries she had. Jupiter, Uranus, Venus and Neptune skirted a dangerous line. They had made deals with people that had no real regard for human life and now they had to act like they meant to kill each other.

Were they all fated to a life of constant struggle and unhappiness?

She could tell him about, maybe, how huge of a threat Lord Hamilton and Lady Accra were. She tried to tell him, but soft sobs thwarted her attempts at speech. His hand was still on her arm; he turned her around and pulled her to him, hugging her tightly against his chest. She grabbed his shirt and ducked her head as he stroked her hair.

She calmed down enough to draw back and she tried to explain but she realized that he just wouldn't get it. She had told him to get out of the city so many times, had shown him how little he would be able to do in the worst case scenario, and he stayed anyway. How could he understand death and destruction like she could? Not that she'd want him to able to understand. Her throat felt pinched but she choked the words out. "Why does it have to be this way?"

She hadn't told him, either, that she had seen herself die, again and again, night after night, and she really did not want to die, she wanted to live, even if her life was wrought with the burden of being a superhero. There was still nothing worse than dying.

"What, Rei? What has to be what way?"

She looked into his eyes for a long time; saw that he was desperately trying to figure out what she could be referring too, trying to find a way to fix her problem, or at least to comfort her.

Well there was one way he could comfort her, she thought. It had worked once before. Not entirely, of course, it hadn't eliminated the stress and anxiety and despair but it had soothed her for a time, enough time for her to get her bearings.

She reached for his face and drew him in, kissing him softly before parting his lips to try to get more of him. He drew back. "I don't understand."

"Stop. Don't think." She pulled him back down and soon enough they were in the bedroom. He had spent the night before, but she had always stopped him when his hands or mouth wandered too low. They were heating up quickly, this time, and she felt a surge of pride by the gratified look on his face when she whispered "Don't stop".

But later, in the dead of night, she awoke and she realized it hadn't made her feel better at all. It had only made her forget, for too short a time.

She sat up, buried her head in her hands and rubbed at her dry eyes.

Yuuichirou was awake, she knew. He had probably been staring at her for a while now, and when she glanced at him she saw a conflicted expression. She looked away and stared at the wall as she tried not to think of everything that was her life at the moment. They were silent until Yuuichirou sat up and pulled himself up until his back was against the headboard. She turned her head to look at him.

"When I was 14," he started, "I thought I loved you. You were cute and scary and a girl. It was just a crush. When I was 18 I thought I loved you. You were hot and unattainable and a woman. It was just lust. When I was 22 I thought I loved you. You were a gorgeous woman, perfect in my eyes.

"All that time I thought I loved you I had set you up as some goddess. That wasn't fair to you. Now I know you, not my image of you, and I know I love you. I don't know when it happened but I fell in love with you and every day I just fall in deeper and deeper."

She couldn't help the tears that started to flow from her eyes. And here she thought she was all cried out. He gathered her up in his arms and pulled her to him. His gesture only made her cry harder. She had really screwed up. How could she have ever agreed to be with him when her heart so wholly belonged to another?

"I have to tell you something."

"Don't," he said. His voice rumbled in his chest. It thrummed through her, deep and steady. "I know." She froze. "I already told you. I _know_. Frankly, anybody who knows both of you knows. And I don't want to hear it, but I accept it. I know it's a part of you that will never truly fade away. But please, just – I know you can't have her, for whatever reason, so – just stay with me. For now."

"I'm sorry." She rubbed her tears away. They kept falling. Her head hurt. "I'll stay with you. If you'll have me." He knew her and loved her and wanted to be with her and only her and it wasn't what she wanted, but she had to hold on to something, anything she could get, or she knew she'd go spiraling down yet again. She'd use him as an emotional anchor, and he knew she'd be using him, and yet –

"You have nothing to apologize for. I understand what this is. I'm being selfish, too. Someday I hope you can really love me."

* * *

"Don't move that pawn to A8. She's beaten me that way at least twice."

Rei entered the room, her gaze on the chess board between Michiru and Ami. Michiru removed her hand from the pawn she had just been gripping. She chose to move the rook, instead, and smiled when Ami looked up and frowned.

"I never knew you to be such a sore loser, Rei-chan."

MIchiru laughed. "You didn't? I've never known anyone who is a sore a loser as her." Except maybe Haruka, she thought, remembering a disastrous game of Monopoly.

"Very funny, Michiru-san." Rei crossed her arms. "Whenever you finish, I'd like to speak with you and Haruka."

Ami pulled away from the table. "Now that the game has been ruined by outside interference," she said, voice terse, "I may as well take my leave." Rei yelped when Ami used her elbow to jab her side on the way out.

As Ami left, Michiru took the opportunity to inspect Rei closely. Rei looked very uncomfortable at the moment, and Michiru knew exactly why. She was draped over Haruka's lap, their togetherness almost too in-your-face to anyone who glanced at them.

She narrowed her eyes and looked at Rei more closely. What was this relaxed posture, healthy glow, and utter lack of frown lines? Not a normal look for Rei.

"You have the look of someone freshly screwed," Michiru hazarded. Internally she congratulated herself on her guess when she saw how Rei suddenly stiffened. "I thought you'd want to know, so maybe you can tone it down a little bit. I also thought you'd like to know that Usagi and Mamoru stopped by this morning."

At this, Rei scowled. If they had come by _together, _this _morning_, then maybe…

Michiru succeeded at not rolling her eyes, but she could not quite keep the annoyance out of her voice. "I can imagine what you have come to discuss with us, Rei-chan. And my opinion is this: I believe in soulmates. They come along once. Only once, Rei-chan."

But you might not be born soulmates, she reflected. She felt like she and Haruka belonged together by some thread of destiny, but thinking back she had been awful to Haruka and Haruka had just accepted it. It had, for instance, taken a long time for Haruka to learn her aesthetic tastes. She'd ply Michiru with clothes and jewelry and Michiru would flatly reject the ones that did not suit her at all. She'd explain in detail why she'd refuse to wear such and such item, and Haruka would take it in stride and come back the next day with an improved version. Still not perfect, Michiru would say, the lace on the bottom of the hem of this skirt looks cheap. She'd bring something else, and something else, until it fit Michiru's tastes exactly right. Now it seemed that Haruka was always able to buy the perfect gift for Michiru and vice-versa, but it wasn't some psychic bond. It came from experience, from a long time of being together and being honest to each other.

This, of course, just skimmed the surface of what they had learned from and about each other.

Yes, maybe soulmates were made, not born.

She ruffled Haruka's hair.

"Haruka, for instance, is the only one who could put up with me," she said. Rei nodded solemnly, absorbing her role model's advice.

"As for me," Haruka said, "I like how particular Michiru is. I'm just happy that someone with such discerning tastes picked me."

* * *

Soulmates.

The conversation with Michiru and Haruka had shown Rei the answer to her problems. The solution was so easy. What had she been thinking up until now? Mamoru had gotten it right the first time. If you love someone, let them go. She must have pushed Usagi toward Mamoru subconsciously. They belonged together, those two were soulmates, and she would just have to finally accept it. She knew Usagi probably wouldn't, though, which meant she'd have to cut her off.

Finally she could be at peace, if not entirely happy. She would cut off the dead weights that were here personal problems and she'd be able to focus on far more important things, like saving the planet from two alien invaders. She'd be able to direct all of her power, emotional physical, and mental, toward their fight.

She gripped the steering wheel and took the next exit off the highway.

* * *

She was surprised to find Rei standing at the door of her apartment and she wondered how long she had stood there before knocking, but she invited her in wordlessly.

Large black shoes stood neatly lined up at the entrance next to a much daintier pair of ballet flats. A white men's button-up shirt was strewn against the back of the couch. The place usually smelled of lavender and vanilla, but now the scents had been subdued, as if they had been sucked up by a distinctly masculine flavor.

Usagi winced as she watched Rei's eyes rove over the apartment. She wasn't going to hide him, though. She had been straightforward about her intentions and feelings from the start and she would continue to be honest and transparent to the important people in her life. She lifted a finger to her lips. He was still here, sleeping off his injuries. To her surprise Rei's face looked as neutral as could be. If she felt anything like jealousy, she was doing a great job of quashing the usual accompanying murderous glares.

"What's up?" she asked, keeping her voice soft.

Rei noticed her look. "How's Mamoru doing? He's what…suffering from exhaustion?"

There it was, the jealousy she had been expecting, obvious in the disdainful tone she had used for the word exhaustion, like she didn't believe it was a real ailment, like she thought it was just something celebrities suffered from when they tried to hide their admissions into rehab. But the last battle combined with the hit from Uranus really had worn him down terribly.

She narrowed her eyes. "Yes, and also internal bruising."

Rei winced. "Sorry," she said. "That must hurt."

Usagi nodded. Of course it hurt. Rei wouldn't make such an inane statement unless there was something else on her mind. And she knew there must be, for Rei wasn't really looking at her at all, and she was so used to intense stares or gazes that just settled on her for vague contemplation that this eye contact avoidance made her suspicious.

"Can I get you a drink?"

Now Rei did look at her, but with a weird expression on her face, and Usagi realized she rarely used things like formal manners around Rei, because Rei would just grab a drink if she were thirsty, or take a seat if she were tired, or barge into her house whenever if she needed something.

Actually, she'd hardly ever even knock, she belatedly realized.

"I think I need to tell you something," she said.

Usagi waited, but Rei was not forthcoming. "Yes?" she finally prompted.

"Maybe I shouldn't tell you, but I want to be completely clear and honest. I've given up on you," she said, and it felt like a punch to the gut. It must have shown on her face. Rei raised her hands. "Oh, no, no, I haven't _given up on you_, as a person. I mean I've given up on…a romantic relationship between us." She was blushing horribly and in any other circumstance she would have looked adorable.

But Usagi could only frown at this admission as Rei haltingly continued. "Because it's too complicated! I want a simple life. I've never had that and I never will but I can at least make things a little easier for myself. I want to be with someone who will love me even if I can only like them in return. So, I've decided to be with Yuuichirou, and you and I should only be friends. I will not pursue you, I will not flirt with you, I will not even think about you in that sense anymore." She clapped her hands together, like she had just said the final word. "And I can finally dedicate my energies to things like fighting evil and defending love and justice."

"So…just friends," Usagi repeated slowly.

"Just friends."

"No love."

"No love." She paused. "Um, love, but only in the friendship sense."

Usagi shook her head. "Are you joking? You're such a liar!"

Rei grit her teeth, incensed. She had worked hard on the speech and had worked even harder to actually spit it all out and here she was being summarily dismissed.

"I'm sorry but none of that was the honest. You'd rather love than be loved, you'll never stop loving me, and," at this her voice took a speculative tone, "I really doubt you'll be able to stop flirting with me."

Rei crossed her arms and stood tall. "I'm in a committed relationship now and as with all commitments, I will take it very seriously. I will to be able to stop."

"Will not."

"Will to."

"Will not!"

"Will to!" "Will not!" "Will to!" "Will – shh." Usagi cringed, suddenly realizing how loud their voices had gotten. Could Mamoru have possibly slept through that?

Rei rolled her eyes. "I can't believe we're grown women still arguing like teenagers," she hissed.

Usagi ignored her comment entirely. "Wait, what do you mean by committed relationship? How serious are we talking here?" Because even if this whole thing involved her, Rei being in a serious committed relationship with _anyone_ was still a major gossip coup.

"Super serious," she immediately replied. "Majorly serious. Moving in together, weddings, babies, the works."

"Liar." Usagi paused, then gasped. "Wait a second. You slept with him!"

Rei didn't even need to answer. She froze and that was answer enough for Usagi, who felt a sharp spark of jealousy. She imagined them together, close, naked, and though they were both attractive the image only made her feel sick to her stomach, and she really had to stop this. She tried to stamp down the feeling but the words came out before she could stop them. "He's not good enough for you!"

"What?"

"I can't believe you'd do this!"

"What?"

"Get out!"

And before Rei would get her final complaint in Usagi shoved her out the door and slammed it in her face.

Oh no, that wasn't what she had meant to do, but she had no idea anyone could feel this way, she had never experienced such overwhelming jealousy before, it was all she could think about. How could she, how could he, how could they? Wrong, wrong, it was so wrong, they weren't meant to be together, it wasn't right.

But she shouldn't feel this way, and she had to apologize, now. She lurched forward and pulled the door open but Rei was already gone.

* * *

The pull of Hamilton's call was not painful like Accra's was. To Haruka it felt more like something persistently thumping on her chest. It was annoying, certainly, especially when it woke her up in the middle of the night. She sighed and sat up in bed and ran her fingers through her hair, to try to flatten it into being presentable. It fanned upward again as soon as she lifted her hands from her head.

"Michiru…"

Michiru sighed and sat up. She grabbed the pomade they kept on the nightstand, put a dollop in her hand, and carefully ran it through Haruka's hair. She made sure to pull a few strands upward, to give her that perfect devil-may-care look.

"Done."

Haruka thanked her, rolled out of bed, and transformed.

"Stay safe," Michiru said.

"You too." Sailor Uranus leaned down for a quick kiss, and she was gone.

* * *

Rei visited the next day and Michiru was grateful for the company.

Still she regretted having wheedled Rei into revealing why the stiff posture, pale skin and frown lines had returned. She had been subject to the exceedingly long story of how Usagi sucks and refuses to love just me but doesn't want anyone else to love me and while retelling to latest incident Rei had made liberal use of the words "So unfair".

Was she an idiot? "You're an idiot," she said, once Rei had finished her tirade.

Rei grimaced. "Why am I the idiot?"

Michiru had to laugh. This girl, this woman before her, had always seemed old and wise, had always been able to offer perspective, but she was utterly myopic when it came to the things directly before her, and she had always been far better at giving advice than taking it, and had always been closed off to her own emotions, maybe on purpose. To use a bit too apt of a metaphor, she was trying to contain a raging fire using a candle snuffer.

This would be her downfall, MIchiru thought. "You've been surprisingly honest with your emotions, up to a point. Now all you have left is to push past that point and be completely honest. Your priorities, Rei-chan, where do they lie?"

"Priorities?"

"Were you listening to me yesterday, Rei-chan?" She spoke slowly, enunciating each word, desperately hoping she could get her message across. At least someone in their group ought to be happy. "Soul mates. They only come along once. ONCE, Rei-chan."

Rei looked about to demand an explanation. Michiru cut her off with a shake of her head. "I can only give you my opinion. The rest is on you."

Speaking of soul mates, Michiru thought, where was Haruka? She looked at the clock in consternation. Night would be falling soon. A whole day would have gone by since Haruka had left the house.

* * *

Later that night, the Senshi met at the Hikawa Jinja grounds again.

Minus two members.

"She still hasn't come back." Michiru's eyes were dry, but her voice wavered despite herself. "She hasn't answered the communicator or her cellphone."

The others exchanged uneasy looks.

"By the way, has anyone seen Sailor Jupiter?" Sailor Mercury asked, her voice high. "I haven't been able to contact her."

The silence that followed answered her question well enough. They all looked to Sailor Moon, who shook her head.

"I haven't seen them but I'm not feeling anything…awful…so I think they're still alive."

Michiru frowned. Sailor Moon hastily added: "No, I'm sure they're alive."

* * *

He was a genius.

Accra's magical virus was easy to get a hold of. He had despaired of ever getting it to work on the Sailor Senshi, but a few radiation-induced mutations later and he was more or less sure that it would be able to bypass their magical defenses.

It was risky, of course, but if it didn't work, he would just kill them. As it was, he had managed to bind them for long enough to inject them with this new, more potent virus, and after a few hours of fighting they had succumbed to the brainwashing.

They were his soldiers, now. Who needed Accra's army when he had two powered-up Sailor Senshi under his command?

"Uranus, Jupiter, stand on your hands."

They immediately flipped upside down and held themselves upward on their hands. After a few minutes they were straining to hold themselves up, but they continued to do so anyway. He wondered how long they would go on, if he never stopped them. Until their blood vessels ruptured? Until they went blind?

He needed them still, but it might be interesting to see, later.

"Uranus, Jupiter, on your hands and knees."

They dropped to the floor.

"Bark like dogs."

There was a considerable moment of hesitation, but they soon began to bark.

He could see why Accra liked this so much. Now it was time for a test. "Shut up," he said, and the barking stopped. It was almost too sad to see them on their hands and knees like that. "Get up." They rose to their feet. They watched him as he left the living room. A moment later he returned. He carried an unconscious man. The man was bound by a multitude of ropes, gagged, and blindfolded. Hamilton removed the blindfold, took a nearby glass of water, and splashed in on the man. The man woke up with a gasp.

"Hello," Hamilton said. The man stared at him with fearful eyes. "I'm not going to hurt you." He removed the gag. The man began screaming for help. He noticed two of the Sailor Senshi standing just a few feet away, staring at him in silence.

"You're Sailors…Jupiter and…Uranus, right? Help me! This man is a maniac!"

Sailor Jupiter moved to help him, but Hamilton held up a hand. "Do not help this man." She stilled. "Tell us," he said, addressing the stranger, "Who you are. What is your name, what do you do for a living, do you have a family? Hobbies, anything?"

He looked at Hamilton warily. Hamilton gestured to Sailor Uranus. "Kick this man in the stomach. Don't kill him, though."

Sailor Uranus stepped forward and drew her foot back.

"Stop, stop, I'll talk – "

"Do not kick him." Uranus stopped her foot mid-swing.

"My name is Toshiro Okazaki. I'm 32 years old, I am a studio musician, I have one son from an ex-wife, one brother, and my parents live in Osaka. I like to paint."

"Very good. Now, Sailor Uranus, Sailor Jupiter, kill this man."

The man froze.

Then started to scream again.

"No, no, please don't! God, stop, no, my son isn't even ten yet, I – "

But Hamilton had gagged him again. The man's strained voice annoyed him, as did Uranus and Jupiter's clear hesitance to obey him.

"Go on, kill him."

Very slowly, Jupiter moved forward, until she stood next to Uranus, just a foot or so away from the man.

"Well," Sailor Jupiter said, drawing her words out slowly, "Which one of us should kill him?"

Hamilton jumped in surprise. First, that she had spoken at all – he had expected them to speak only when ordered to do so – and second, that she had asked him to specify an order. This was surprising…but they would still serve well enough for his purposes if only they could show him…

"I don't care. Either of you, both of you, whatever."

Sailor Uranus stepped forward, but Jupiter put out an arm to block her.

"Let me," she said. She stepped forward, placed her hands on the man's shoulder, and kneeled in front of him, to look him in the eye. "I'm really sorry." A bright spark of electricity flashed from her hands to stop his heart and a moment later, he was dead.

Tears streamed down her face and she cradled the man's body as his eyes rolled back in their sockets and he lifelessly slumped forward. Sailor Uranus knelt next to her and put a hand on her shoulder.

So they had hesitated, had killed him in the most painless way possible, and were now showing remorse and independent speaking ability. All things he had not expected from this brainwashing.

Still.

They had shown him that they could kill a man. Hamilton's lips curved upward. He still preferred his method to Accra's. Ruling through fear, power, and manipulation amused him. But he could see the value in having at least some people brainwashed, and who better to have on his side than two Sailor Senshi? They would be his enforcers in his new world, his latest, possibly greatest conquest: planet Earth. Soon to be renamed Massalia, soon to be his homebase.

* * *

She had been stupid.

So stupid, to accept power from an unknown, homicidal source. Stupid, to have heeded his call, to have gone to his apartment without backup. Stupid, and weak, to have been defeated by him.

And now she was trapped inside of a body that had too much power and over which she had no control. Her movements were not hers, though she strived against them. Her words were not always hers, though sometimes they managed to break through. Her thought processes weren't hers, either. She vaguely felt the undercurrent of her own conscience, her own consciousness, and sometimes her conscience and consciousness were at the forefront of her thoughts, filling them with sudden clarity, and the next moment they were dulled by an overriding impetus, to listen to whatever Lord Hamilton commanded, to obey him in all things, even when her better self screamed out against it.

She did things, and she really didn't know why she did things. She stepped forward, she stopped Haruka, she killed that man, she apologized to that man. Who was doing what – what was she doing of her own will, what had Hamilton made her do? Her mind blurred the two, it was hard to tell. She wasn't sure what kind of a person Kino Makoto was, or had been.

Lord Hamilton brought them now to a residential area of Tokyo. They stood on the tallest of the buildings in the area. There were few highrises in this part of the city.

"Destroy these homes."

But why? she idly wondered. She started to collect an electric charge in her hands. It was weird to randomly destroy buildings. Wrong, definitely.

"What if there are people inside?" Sailor Uranus asked. There, that was the problem. Destroying buildings was fine, but killing people? It had been hard enough to kill that man, somehow, and now they might kill a whole bunch in just a few shots.

"I don't care. Destroy these buildings."

Then she guessed it didn't matter. She still felt bad about it, though. She raised her hands up to the sky just as Sailor Uranus leapt down from the roof and laid her hands flat against the ground. The sky crackled with charged air. The ground rumbled as the earth began to move. A roar ripped through the sky as a lightning bolt flew down and struck a house, instantly obliterating the slanted roof and setting the rest of it on fire. The ground cracked open, the seams running up and down the street, splitting houses' foundations and upturning the pavement and asphalt.

The air filled with screams.

* * *

They had split into pairs to look for them. Sailor Moon had tagged along with Sailor Mars and the pair had looked far and wide through the city and so far had had no luck. They had been at it about an hour and it was about time for a break. Mars leaned against a wall and took a breather.

"Sailor Mars," Sailor Moon sounded hesitant. This was the first time they had spoken since their argument. "I'm sorry. I was being stupid."

Sailor Mars shook her head. "It's fine. I'm sorry, too."

Surely they could have a conversation several hours long about this, but there was no time for anything longer than a quick exchange of apologies. They were about to start searching again when their communicators blared.

"If there were an emergency level higher than red, this would be it. All Sailor Senshi to my position, immediately."

They ran as fast as they could, following the GPS on their communicators, until they spotted Venus and Neptune, hiding in an alley. They leapt down from the rooftops and joined them. Mercury and Tuxedo Mask arrived a second later.

"What is going on?" Sailor Mars asked, for emergency level red usually meant they were already engaged in combat or would be very soon and here were Venus and Neptune, standing and watching…watching what? She peered over their heads.

Accra and Hamilton were already engaged in battle.

Sailors Uranus and Jupiter were there as well, but their focus was not on Accra.

They were destroying the buildings. Most in the area were already halfway to being in shambles, and now they were working on utterly flattening them. Some of the braver citizens attacked them with whatever they could get their hands on, bats, kitchen knives, anything at all, but Uranus and Jupiter easily swatted away these minor irritants.

Sailor Moon gasped. "What are they doing?"

"That's not them," Sailor Neptune said, her voice quiet. "They've been brainwashed."

How could she tell? Sailor Mars squinted and looked more carefully at the two Senshi. Their eyes were clouded and dull and their movements rather stiff for two trained fighters. They demolished the houses methodically, moving from house to house to knock down each wall that remained standing, to dismantle support beams and tear out the pipes and electric cabling until the house was utterly destroyed.

"We have to stop them," Sailor Mercury said. Sailor Venus nodded, but she had shifted her gaze to Accra and Hamilton who were a distance away.

"Sailor Moon, you stay here. Tuxedo Mask, you stay with her."

"What? No!"

Sailor Venus turned to face her. She took a calming breath before speaking. "They think you're not that strong, now, but if Hamilton and Accra see how effective your powers are, they'll kill you. We need you for our last resort. Stay hidden."

Sailor Mars cast Sailor Moon a sympathetic glance before following after Sailor Venus, who had already unleashed an attack against Sailor Uranus. Sailor Neptune had set into Sailor Jupiter and the two were fighting in the old-fashioned, hand-to-hand way. Neptune was surprisingly adept and almost met Jupiter in not only strength, with her newly-enhanced power, but also technique, something which surprised Sailor Mars, though when she thought about it, it really shouldn't have.

Sailor Mercury had hung back and Sailor Mars stood next to her and waited, trusting Sailor Mercury's verdict.

"When those two arrive," she finally said, "They will want to help Venus fight Uranus. Let's take down Jupiter."

It was hard for Sailor Mercury to say those words and hard for Mars to accept them but the two did not dwell on it. Sailor Mars thrust her hands forward and out. She paused to consider warning Neptune, but realized it would alert Jupiter as well. With a yell she shoved forward and she was pushed back by the force of the stream of fire that erupted from her. It flew toward Jupiter and Neptune and struck Jupiter squarely in the chest, just narrowly missing Neptune.

Sailor Mercury followed up with giant blocks of ice that materialized in the air and dropped onto Sailor Jupiter, who grunted with pain as each one fell on her. Finally she had had enough. She smashed through the next block of ice, fought through the flames alighting on her, and landed an electricity-charged punch on Neptune, who stumbled back. She stayed on her feet, though, and returned with a blow to Jupiter's head.

But her physical strength, even powered up, was still not on Jupiter's level, and the next blow from Jupiter sent her reeling back and falling to the ground.

This made Sailor Mars glance at Sailor Venus in alarm, because Venus was strong – but Uranus was stronger. She was relieved to see that Pluto and Saturn had joined her and seemed to be winning against Uranus.

If their group could do it, so could hers, she decided. Her fists lit up and a few handsprings later she was right up in Jupiter's face. Her fist flew upward and hit her again and again, and Jupiter screamed in agony, it burned, Mars knew, it must burn, her face was getting red and Jupiter grunted with every hit until she finally caught Mars' fist.

She was screwed. Jupiter snapped her arm down and Mars shrieked when she heard a crack and soon after felt the searing pain up her arm, certainly broken, and then there was a lightning bolt heading her way and who could dodge something that moved so quickly, if anybody could it certainly wasn't her, and she screamed again as the bolt hit her –

But Jupiter's attacks had been concentrated on her, and it gave Neptune and Mercury a chance to charge up a powerful attack. Jagged ice and pressurized water smacked into her and this time Jupiter shrieked as the shards cut up her skin and the water hit her with such force that she was sure a rib or two had cracked.

"More power," Lord Hamilton muttered with a flick of his cane, and when Jupiter regained her footing after the blast of water knocked her off her feet she shook off the ice and seemed barely hurt by the attack.

Mercury and Mars exchanged panicked looks. Mars spared a glance to the others, fighting Sailor Uranus, and it looked like Uranus had once again gained the upper hand…

Which spelled bad news for them.

"Jupiter Oak Evolution!"

_Hundreds_ of those little leaf blasts flew at them in a shower of pain and Mars hissed as they tore through her skin.

They had been moving, while battling, drawing them away from the residential area, quite on purpose, and now they were in an industrial part of town, where there would be few, maybe even no people around in the very late hours of the night. They would be spared more casualties, but this fresh new terrain gave Jupiter an idea. She sent a blast flying toward a telephone cable. It cut in two and the live wire swung wildly on the ground. Mercury's warning was too late; Neptune unleashed another water blast that Jupiter met with supercharged wrists. The electricity travelled up the path and zapped Neptune, sending her flying back straight into the live wire.

She slumped over, out of commission.

Now they were really screwed.

* * *

Things with Sailor Uranus were going just as badly.

"Space Sword Blaster!"

Scythe-shaped energy blasts flew toward them and hit them, blast after blast, she would just not let up. Sailor Venus gathered her willpower, fought through the blinding pain, and emerged on the other side of one of the blasts, finger pointed toward Uranus and attack already on her lips, but a huge rock flew at her from nowhere and smashed into her sides. Rock after rock pummeled her and she could hardly breathe as they overwhelmed her.

She randomly sent out crescent beams, hoping they'd hit something. By the crunching sounds she heard, some of the rocks being sent her way were intercepted; by the yelps, she had accidentally hit Saturn and Pluto.

No matter. The rocks had stopped. She was back in the game.

"Venus Love and Beauty Shock!"

She managed to hit Uranus, giving Pluto and Saturn enough time to unleash their own attacks against her. Pluto's cyclone unbalanced Uranus enough for Saturn's ribbons to wrap around her and begin to constrict. She screamed in pain as they sliced into her and drew away her energy but only for a moment before she broke free.

She was enraged.

She dropped a hand to the ground and it split open. Venus nearly fell into the crack but Pluto pulled her back from the precipice just in time. The earth shook. Venus stumbled and fell to her knees. Pluto pulled her back up but for nothing. Jagged chunks of earth erupted from the ground, smashing into them and throwing them into the air. The both landed from a too-great height, too-painfully – they had definitely broken something – before the earth rose up against to send them flying up.

"Stop, please!" Saturn begged, but it had no effect on Uranus, who hit her with a blast of energy that momentarily blinded her, long enough for Uranus to get close to her and start attacking her physically. A punch, a jab, and Saturn was down. Another kick and she was sprawled on the ground. She rolled away to avoid being stomped on and brought her glaive up. She swung it and it hooked Uranus' calf. With a grimace, Saturn pulled it forward. It cut through skin and muscle before Uranus managed to reach down, grab hold of the handle and pull it away, though Saturn still kept control over the glaive. Uranus's blood spilled onto the ground, staining it a dark red, and she felt dizzy for a moment, and Sailor Venus had arrived in the next moment and had wrapped her chain around her. She pulled the chain tighter, the energy burned, it hurt, Uranus grabbed hold of the chain and snapped it. She threw a punch at Venus, who ducked and lunged forward, knocking Uranus to the ground. She pointed her finger at Uranus and shot out a beam and at such a short distance at such a high power it made Uranus scream from how much it hurt, especially when it was joined by the ribbons of pain and the energy blasts of death from Saturn and Pluto.

Uranus had enough. She pushed Venus off of her and sprinted to the nearest building. She put both her hands at the base and the earth began to shake and the building toppled over, the top half sliding away from the bottom half and crashing down on Venus, Uranus and Pluto. They managed to avoid being buried entirely but chunks of concrete smacked them and they were all bleeding from the head, losing enough blood that black spots filled their vision. Venus blinked once, to try to clear them, blinked again, and Uranus was in front of her, blinked again and Uranus had started up a gale wind that pushed her toward a building. She was tossed her inside and she heard a blast hit something very close behind her –

Something explosive –

* * *

"This is boring," Hamilton declared. He looked worse for wear but by the looks of it, Accra had not fared much better. "Uranus, Jupiter, cease fighting these pests and level this part of Tokyo."

They stopped engaging the Senshi and immediately set about tearing down the buildings around them. It might have been a bad idea to bring them to an industrial area. Gas tanks and pipes everywhere exploded as they were hit by lightning. Wind forces so strong that they ripped water and sewage pipes apart made the area flood with moss- and mud-colored fluids until the streets were covered with the stuff about an inch deep. It was disgusting and whatever was in the fluid made the cuts they had sustained to their ankles and shins and calves sting badly.

Then the earth shook and the buildings around them broke apart, crackling loudly as they fell to pieces, clanging as metal hit metal.

This was enough, it was too much.

Sailor Moon rushed from her hiding place toward Jupiter and Uranus. "Stop, stop, Sailor Jupiter, Sailor Uranus, what are you doing? Think! What are you doing?"

They stopped, for a short moment, but Hamilton was quick to interrupt.

"Yes, think about what you are doing. Why are you tearing this place down so slowly? Faster."

She wasn't going to let them do this, she wasn't going to let them tear down the hard work of generations of people. She pulled her wand out and pointed it at Jupiter. She heard footsteps behind her and in her peripheral vision saw Sailor Mars next to her, ready to defend her if necessary.

Her presence made her feel a little better as she attacked her own friend.

"Silver moon crystal power kiss!"

Hamilton and Accra had stopped fighting and watched with interest as the sparkling beams hit Jupiter.

* * *

Jupiter stopped.

And after a moment's struggle she had ripped herself away from the beam and was back to tearing down buildings.

It hadn't worked. It hadn't worked and when she tried it on Sailor Uranus it didn't work, either, she only stopped for second before she, too, fought her way out of the beam and resumed the destruction, and now both Hamilton and Accra looked at her with something like distrust in their eyes. She knew what they were thinking – she really thought she was powerful enough to de-brainwash them? Could she have such powers?

And with the way Mars was looking at her she knew she had screwed up, shouldn't have shown her hand too soon, but she had to try, because she knew that they had to find a way to stop them, and if her healing powers didn't work then they'd have to employ some more painful, possibly final, ways to stop them.

They'd have to, very soon. The earth shook once more and she stumbled and hissed as her knees met the asphalt with painful impact. Buildings' steel girders cracked and tumbled down to the ground below, the walls crumbled against the sides of the structures, glass shattered and rained down on them. Sailor Moon winced as glass fell upon her but there were bigger things to worry about than the shards stuck in her hair and skin. Pluto had extracted Sailor Venus from the wreckage of the explosion and was running toward Sailor Saturn, who had already erected a barrier, a half-sphere above her that protected herself and Sailor Neptune.

Sailor Mercury was sprinting toward the barrier as well, as Jupiter and Uranus tore down the area. It was dangerous to be out here, she knew. Sailor Mars pulled her up to her feet and they, too, started to sprint toward the barrier, but Sailor Mars slid to a stop a moment later and spun on her foot to change direction. Sailor Moon was steps behind her, followed her even though she wasn't sure where she was going because it just seemed like the best course of action, and she soon figured out where Sailor Mars was heading. Tuxedo Mask had tried to dash toward the barrier as well but he had been under a bridge and it collapsed around him. He narrowly dodged a few chunks of the bridge as it fell, leapt over the wreckage and upturned earth, but one large chunk of the bridge smacked him and he fell forward. Metal support pipes soon fell and added to the crush that buried him. They had to save him, could they get there in time?

Of course not. One moment she was standing, the next moment Sailor Mars crashed into her and tackled her to the ground. Her head smacked against the pavement but at least she hadn't been hit by the tree that zipped above their heads moment later, spinning horizontally, not stopping until it hit a nearby telephone pole. She pushed herself onto her hands and knees, looked to where Tuxedo Mask was – now he was buried completely, out of sight – Sailor Mars pulled her down again until she was flat against the ground as another tree flew by overhead.

"Cover your head," Sailor Mars hissed, and she did so just in time to feel more shattered glass cut up her hands and arms and a hail of concrete fell upon them and soon they were surrounded by smoke as something caught fire and she coughed and coughed, she couldn't get enough air. She heard a loud boom, the earth rumbled, the sound of the buildings falling around them crescendoed and she felt deafened.

And then there was silence.

The smoke began to clear.

* * *

They were gone, and they had left the surroundings in ruins. Nearby buildings were stripped of their outer layers, showing plaster, steel girders, and electrical wiring that occasionally gave off sparks as the cables swung through the air. Trees had been felled, taking with them telephone cables that strained the poles holding them up. A fog of dust arose from the cracked and broken streets and sidewalks, asphalt and cement jaggedly cutting upwards.

Sailor Mars got to her feet. Her legs shook beneath her. Her eyes burned from the smoke and her ribs hurt from the kicks. She felt sharp pain throbbing in her arm. Her vision grew hazy because of all the blood she had lost. Still she hadn't suffered too many injuries but the scale of destruction she had just seen, from her best friends no less, had scared her. She felt her stomach roil. She helped Sailor Mercury to her feet. Sailor Mercury looked no less stunned.

Sailor Moon was already on her feet, dashing toward the collapsed bridged. Sailor Mars moved to follow her but spared a thought for Sailor Neptune and Venus. She looked back to where the rest of their group was. Neptune and Venus lay face up on either side of Sailor Mercury. She tended to them with a first aid kit she had procured from somewhere. She seemed to feel Sailor Mars' stare; she looked up and they made eye contact. She grimaced. Sailor Mars curled her hands into fists but she heard sirens in the distance and she convinced herself that as soon as the emergency workers arrived, Neptune and Venus would be fine, they could certainly survive electrocution and a gas explosion, she thought, she hoped.

She dashed toward Sailor Moon. Sailor Moon was clearing away the rubble from where they had last seen Tuxedo Mask. Sailors Pluto and Saturn were by her side already, helping her. Sailor Mars joined their efforts. She wished she could just blast these rocks away but there was no telling where Tuxedo Mask was actually buried, she could burn him by mistake. They had to do this the old fashioned way and it was taking too long. Even if he hadn't been crushed, he would suffocate soon enough.

Rescue workers joined them. They asked a few questions, Sailor Pluto replied with a few short answers, and soon there were dozens of men and women working to free Tuxedo Mask as well. There, they spotted something, two hands seeking freedom, and moments later he was uncovered. He was bloody and dirty, his top hat was nowhere to be seen, but he was alive.

Mars whispered a quick prayer of thanks to the gods. Her friend was alive, she really thought that might have been the last of him, but he once again scraped through. The workers pulled him upright until he was completely free of the wreckage, and they clapped and cheered and he bowed deeply and thanked him.

One of the workers suggested he be checked out the hospital; he was about to decline but his usual doctor, Sailor Mercury, was nowhere to be seen. She must have gone to the hospital with Venus and Neptune. He looked at Sailor Mars and she suddenly realized she must look terrible, blood everywhere, arm definitely not aligned like it was supposed to be, bruises rapidly becoming visible on every exposed surface of skin. She nodded. They weren't nearly as injured as Venus and Neptune had been but they would still go to the hospital, together.

Sailor Moon, who had stood absolutely still ever since he had been freed, suddenly threw herself on him, arms around his shoulders, clutching him to her desperately. Her lips descended on his and they kissed. She had come so close to losing him, _again_. Her hands shook at the thought and she gripped his arms painfully hard to make sure he was really alive, still physically present.

Sailor Mars felt that familiar stab to her heart but it was such a shallow pain that it felt like nothing at all, it was utterly drowned out by the pain and nausea that overwhelmed her because of what she had seen. Sailor Uranus and Jupiter had paid the price of their precarious deal. They had been brainwashed, they had destroyed part of the city, and they had _killed_ people. Sailor Neptune and Venus had paid, too. Their injuries were the most severe she had seen on a Senshi other than actual death.

Sailor Moon let Tuxedo Mask go. A nearby ambulance had been waiting to receive them and as soon as Mars and Tuxedo Mask were inside they were rushed to the hospital. The ER staff tried to triage them into urgent care. She let them take Tuxedo Mask but she argued with them about her own status, she was a Sailor Senshi, some cuts, a few bruises and a broken arm were common injuries for her. They relented and she immediately looked for Sailor Mercury. She found her in the ER waiting room. Her skin was pale but her eyes were dry, she had resolutely refused to cry even when she had first seen the burns on Venus on Neptune.

"Are they alive?"

"Yes. Barely."

Sailor Mars cringed. She took a seat next to Mercury and tried to ignore the stares they were getting. There were children in here, though, and she maybe should have let herself be patched up because they looked absolutely horrified to see her state. She stood up and approached the receptionist.

"I need to see Venus and Neptune."

The receptionist looked ready to deny her but with a glare from Sailor Mars she and Mercury were on their way to the operating theatres. First, Venus. A bunch of interns were looking on, gawking, and maybe it made an interesting case study, how to deal with superhuman healing factor while operating, she could see some of the skin was already healing over, but Venus was stripped bare, there were burns everywhere, it wasn't right for them to be here.

"Get out," she said, her voice flat and menacing. They hesitated. She felt her anger rise up, she tried to keep calm and Mercury's hand on her shoulder helped a bit but she still felt her hair start to rise up and the energy around her start to swirl.

This was enough for the interns, who removed themselves from the scene quickly enough. She had seen enough of Venus, she thought, they moved to Neptune's operating theatre and the interns must have passed the warning along for there was nobody watching but them. Neptune was likewise totally naked and covered with burns. Mars had to turn away, she wondered how Mamoru did this kind of thing on a daily basis.

"Go get your arm set and go home," Mercury said. "I'll watch over them."

* * *

AN: Next chapter – it probably won't get much darker than Hamilton's sick obedience session but their situation will get worse.

**StormBrisingr**, I do have something big planned and I hope this chapter lays the groundwork so people can take educated guesses. I also hope this chapter fulfilled your request at least a little bit. We'll be seeing more perspectives on the Accra/Hamilton problem especially, now, in the next two chapters. **Gear001**, still four more chapters after this one! I don't count the prologue as a chapter. And no, it will not end well. Thanks **X-Kali-X**, I'm happy that people who ship other pairings can still find this story interesting.

And thank you **rainbowsailormoon** and **Miss H Granger**!


	16. Buried in the Fragments

AN: Fair warning that this chapter has strong language. But, I think it's deserved. This chapter is intense, even for me!

**CHAPTER FIFTEEN**

The way the directors were crowding around Yamamoto's phone reminded Yuuichirou of his childhood days, when he and his friends would surround the television displays in store windows and jeer and complain as the Giants lost against the Tigers.

Yuuichirou elected not to join the crowd. He had already seen the clips too many times. News crew had come late; most videos were taken by people with their phones, shaky, unfocused camera work, but they were getting thousands of hits anyway. Two videos in particular had already reached one million views. One, of Uranus tossing Venus into an explosion. The other, of Jupiter engineering Neptune's electrocution.

What had happened? Had they defected? He thought back to what he knew of Tenoh – no, he didn't know her well enough. But Kino would never pull something like this, he knew it in his bones. There was something else going on.

"They're scary as hell. We can't keep them here."

Yuuichirou winced. This was what he had been worried about, when he got the call for an emergency meeting. Except for Sailor Moon, all of the Senshi plus Tuxedo Mask were getting treated at the Tokyo Medical U Hospital.

And some of the directors were not happy about this.

"Yes, they're already reporting a dozen deaths and two dozen injured, who knows how high the body count will rise. How will this make us look?"

"The doctors who work for us are oath-bound to keep them here as long as is medically advisable."

"Why can't they get transferred to some other hospital?"

"Most of them don't have to stay here long, but Venus and Neptune are in emergency surgery as we speak."

"Who cares?" Yuuichirou finally stood up and broke into the crowd, angrily ripping the cellphone out of their grasp and turning off the video. "We don't even need to argue. These women have been protecting you grown men ever since they were little girls. Can't we finally cut them a break?"

* * *

After they had patched up her arm and bandaged her wounds and given her a blood transfusion the attending and the nurses insisted that Sailor Mars stay overnight in the hospital. She was ready to argue until she had felt suddenly dizzy and realized that cuts, bruises and a broken arm were perhaps more significant injuries than she had previously thought.

Despite all that, she was determined not to stay long. She obediently stayed the night and slept away her injuries and early the next morning she crept around the hospital. She narrowly dodged all the hospital's staff. Such subterfuge was harder than expected but a bright red skirt did not make for good camouflage in the sterile white medical environment. Still she managed to make it to the board meeting room and there she spotted exactly who she had been looking for.

Yuuichirou had not slept at all, it seemed. He stared blankly at her for a few moments before his eyes widened in recognition.

"Sailor Mars," he said, "What a surprise to see you up and about."

They were not alone. Two other board members were present. One stared at her with a look of shock and the other with a look of suspicion.

The first one spoke – "Sailor Mars! I hope you're feeling better. Say, how does Sailor Mercury compare to you, height-wise?"

Sailor Mars shrugged off the strangeness of the question. "A little bit shorter. And a more petite build, if you can believe it." She was fully aware of her own tininess, which was why Makoto insisted they all had to learn judo immediately.

He stood up. "I was saved by Sailor Mercury once. She looked so tall and strong and powerful. Then again, I was lying on the ground, having just been hit by a horrible monster." He shook his head. "You were right, Kumada-san. If we booted Venus and Neptune out, we might as well forsake our pride."

As he left the room the second director took his turn to speak. "Two members of my staff have not shown up today. Mizuno-sensei was supposed to be in to pick up some lab results last night and Chiba-sensei had an ER shift. What happened to them?"

"Maybe they got caught in yesterday's…unfortunate series of events," Mars suggested.

"Perhaps so." He, too, left, leaving only Yuuichirou and Sailor Mars.

"Oh, Rei-chan…"

She shook her head. "Don't speak, don't say any words. I can't handle hearing anything about it." She stared at the window behind him. The frame displayed foliage from tall trees jutting upward and fanning out to protect patient privacy. She had a couple of people to call on but sneaking through the hospital hallways had been such a pain…

* * *

Minako's first thought when she woke up was – _It hurts_.

The two words ran through her mind over and over again.

_It hurts. It hurts. It hurts._

It felt like her skin had been ripped off, and it more or less had. She remembered the few moments before she blacked out, the sharp pain of her whole body consumed by fire as she was flung through the air. She didn't remember the impact that had knocked her out, but a heavy ache filled her head and she thought it must not have been a soft landing.

It hurt. She sat up and hissed as the blankets scraped against her new skin. In a week or so she'd be fine, she estimated, but a week was a long time when two evil maniacs were tearing up the city.

Something heavy sat on her forehead. Her tiara was still there, and she realized she was still Sailor Venus. Their magic, she thought. Her identity had been protected. Any of the hospital staff that had operated on her must have seen her only as Sailor Venus, even though Sailor Venus looked exactly like Aino Minako, international pop star.

She hoped so, anyway. She pressed the nurse on call button and knew she was right when the nurse entered. The nurse's eyes were wide, her shoulders slumped, her whole manner withdrawn and nervous; rare for a nurse, this mix of disbelief and nervousness – or was it fear?

"How can I help you, Sailor Venus?" The nurse tried her best to sound professional, but she tripped over the name.

"Can you tell me if there's any other Senshi checked in here?"

"I'm sorry, that's – "

"Confidential. Yes, I should have known." She drew back and drummed her fingers against the bedspread. She needed to get out of here but there was no way they'd release her for at least a month. She'd have to break out in a couple of days.

_It hurts._

"Then, can you get me more painkillers?"

Soon after the nurse left she heard tapping at the window. She didn't quite feel up to standing up and walking over but that was no obstacle to Sailor Mars, who melted the glass and slipped into the room.

"Wholesale unnecessary destruction of property. I am sure the hospital will be appreciative."

"Sailor Venus, I see you're doing well on this lovely Monday."

Shoot. "Is it a Monday? I need you to call Artemis." Artemis and Luna had left the city soon after they had decided to target Accra, joining the doctors Suzuki in Kyoto. The two cats weren't safe here, and Minako had promised to check in with Artemis weekly so they could trade info and make sure they were both still alive.

"I will," Mars promised. "But really, are you alright? For a second there I really thought you were dead."

Her tone was weirdly flat and light, the words tossed about like they were nothing at all. Venus gave her a strange look.

"You 'really thought I was dead', and this is how you respond? Give me tears, or a hug, or something, god, R-Sailor Mars."

Sailor Mars looked away, her eyes blinking rapidly. Venus peered at her suspiciously.

"Are _you _alright?" She sat up straight, suddenly hit with a horrifying thought. "Is everyone else alright?"

Sailor Mars smiled and sat next to her on the bed. "Mostly. Sailor Neptune got injured just as badly as you did but she's alive, she's in the next room over. Tuxedo Mask had a really close call but he won't need as long a stay as you two will." She pulled her knees up and hugged her them to her chest. "I don't know what we're going to do about Uranus and Jupiter, though."

Venus squeezed her eyes shut and slapped her forehead. She had forgotten about that. Two evil maniacs _plus_ two of their fellow warriors were tearing up the city. She looked to Sailor Mars. She was tempted to ask her _Can you please just take care of that whole disaster for me_, but no, they would do this together, though she wished she could just bow out.

Still it had been hard enough to fight Uranus, not only because Uranus was so powerful and had been fully intent on killing her, but also because Tenoh Haruka was her friend, the exasperating, charming ladies' woman; and she'd have an even harder time fighting Jupiter, who had finally looked at least a little bit happy – or maybe content, was the better word – after coming back from her round-the-world trip.

How could they stop them, though? They'd either have to neutralize Hamilton and Accra and hope the brainwashing wore off, or they'd have to find a cure, or they'd have to…

The nurse returned and her eyes widened to a comical extent when she spotted Sailor Mars sitting next to Sailor Venus.

She patted the top of Sailor Mars's head. "Don't worry your pretty little head about it, Sailor Venus will figure it out."

Sailor Mars looked ready to strangle her but she laughed instead. She stood, grabbed Venus's hand and squeezed it.

"I really am happy to see you alive."

She was out the window a moment later. Sailor Venus laughed at the nurse's stunned expression.

* * *

Sailor Neptune lay in bed the next room over. In front of her there was nothing but a blank, white wall. There was nothing to get in the way of the images that replayed themselves over and over in her mind. She had caught glimpses of Sailor Uranus in battle against Venus, Pluto, and Saturn, had caught glimpses of how badly she had beat them, all three of them, including their own daughter.

She hadn't seen it but she had been told of how Uranus had thrown Venus into that explosion, nearly killing her. Sailor Venus was hardy. Sailor Venus was a survivor, one of those types who refused to die. Sailor Saturn had always been a little frailer, a little less steady, and had an odd perspective on things like death and life due to her life experiences and her powers. What if she had been caught in that blast? Would she have survived?

Sailor Neptune seriously doubted it.

She was shaken from her thoughts when she noticed Sailor Mars scrambling to get in to her room through the window. She finally managed to get in but when she met Neptune's eyes she said nothing at all, not even a greeting. She could only stand awkwardly and shift her weight from foot to foot.

And really, Neptune could hardly blame her. What could Mars possibly say? 'How are you feeling' would be too stupid of a question to pose to someone who had recently been electrocuted. Even worse would be any comment about Haruka. 'I'm sorry your lover has been brainwashed and is now on a murderous, destructive rampage' was about the only accurate thing she could say.

Mars remained utterly silent. Neptune was going to have to start the conversation but she could only think about Haruka.

And she didn't want to say anything about her, not to anyone, especially not to any of the Senshi, who were already burdened enough with their own pains and problems. But she had to tell someone, had to let it out, she felt like she could hardly breathe, sometimes, often.

"Sailor Mars, what am I going to do if Haruka really starts to hurt people, to kill people, for no reason at all?" she wondered, and she couldn't help it if her voice cracked halfway through the sentence. There was only one obvious solution. "What would I do without Haruka? I love her more than everyone and everything."

She was a virtuoso violinist, a master painter, and a championship swimmer. She had a family, friends, and got to actually fight for her ideals on a frequent basis. But it would all mean nothing to her, nothing at all, without Haruka. She shook her head and looked to Mars. Mars managed eye contact for a second before looking away. Neptune felt a stab of guilt for being too open this way, she shouldn't have said anything after all, it was too much for her to handle, how could she except someone like Sailor Mars to process it?

She was startled when Mars moved toward her, sat next to her on the bed, and pulled her into a hug.

"I'm sorry, Sailor Neptune."

Neptune was not the crying type, but she barely managed to hold back her tears this time. "Thank you."

* * *

Usagi was definitely the crying type and she did not bother to hold back her tears. It was mid-morning, and Ami was still asleep. She had crept out of the room they had shared and now sat at the kitchen table, crying softly.

Ami had arrived later that night and had told her of Minako and Michiru's status while she patched her up. Usagi had few injuries, compared to Mamoru, Rei, Setsuna, and Hotaru who were still in the hospital, and especially compared to Minako and Michiru. She felt guilty, she should have done something earlier, should have gotten involved in the battle at least as much as the rest of them had, but instead she had stood to the side, under Tuxedo Mask's protective watch, and had looked on as her guardians were horribly beaten.

Ami had tried to talk her out of her guilt, had told her that keeping her in reserve as a secret weapon had been the most logical thing to do, that her participation in any of the fights would have only helped their side a little bit, considering how badly they were trounced in a six-on-two battle.

Ami should have been in the hospital, too, she had taken a bruising from Sailor Jupiter, but she had wanted to be by Usagi's side as soon as possible, because the thought of being alone in a hospital room while Sailor Jupiter and Uranus were out there under the thumb of an evil overlord made her feel sick.

They slept in the same bed that night, cuddled close to each other.

"Sailor Jupiter will definitely pull through," Usagi had said. "This is Mako-chan we're talking about! She'll come back to us and she'll say 'what were you worried for? As if I'd let a guy like that take control of me!'"

Usagi marveled at herself. She had sounded so confident, saying this to Ami last evening, even when she didn't really believe it. She had faith in Makoto, of course, but Hamilton was so powerful that it seemed like the universe was putting on a cruel show. It was like the USA versus Madagascar, who would win in a war?

The answer was obvious even to her.

She heard the door creak open. She rubbed away her tears and blinked a few times, trying to regain moisture in her eyes. Moments later Rei entered the kitchen.

"Ah, Usagi-chan. I've been to see Minako and Michiru."

Ami stepped into the kitchen just in time to receive Rei's update. When she had finished they gathered around the phone in the living room. Ami dialed the temporary residence of Suzuki Natsumi and her father. They had taken the idea of talking cats surprisingly well. At some point the idea of magic and all the weird things related to it had ceased to surprise them the more they looked into the very weird magical virus. Actually at this point they probably knew she was Sailor Mercury, Ami mused, as she recounted what had happened to Natsumi.

"Hmm…Neither Accra nor Hamilton have shown the ability to brainwash people without use of that virus. I assume that Hamilton somehow obtained it, modified it, and used it on Uranus and Jupiter."

Yes, this made sense to Ami, and her heart leapt at the thought. "Are you anywhere close to finding a vaccine?"

Natsumi paused before answering: "We've made some progress, but if Hamilton's modified the virus, it's going to be harder to find a cure for Jupiter and Uranus."

Ami smothered a sigh. "Thanks, Natsumi-san. Can I talk to Artemis and Luna?"

The talking cats greeted her with the news that they had not yet found the source of Hamilton's power-augmenting abilities. They had, however, found that the stories about Accra's takeovers went back about 200 years.

"So if she's not immortal, she does at least have astonishing longevity," Luna concluded.

The opposite of what they wanted to hear, of course.

"Nevertheless," Ami said, after she got off the phone, "I'm beginning to think that Hamilton is a greater threat than Accra."

"I think I agree," Rei said slowly. "Now that Jupiter and Uranus are out of commission, though, we'll have to think of another way to take him down."

* * *

They had forgotten something and when Ami dredged it up from her memory and told Usagi and Rei they both gasped.

They had forgotten all about Makoto's boyfriend. He was another one who hadn't taken their warnings seriously ("Monsters and aliens attack Tokyo all the time. The Sailor Senshi will deal with that crazy lady"). And so he had stayed.

To his eyes, therefore, Makoto would have been missing for two nights already, almost long enough that he could declare her a missing person. They had to get to him first, before the police started to poke their noses in. They rushed to the apartment and on their way argued about whether or not to tell him.

"How else are we going to explain?" Rei asked.

They still hadn't decided by the time they had arrived. Hesitantly Ami rang the bell. The door swung open a moment later to reveal Matthew in sweatpants and a loose t-shirt and with two days' worth of facial hair.

"Mizuno-san! Thank god, I've been trying to find your phone numbers but Makoto doesn't have an actual address book. Do you know where she is?" His expression suddenly turned depressed. "Has she been kidnapped? Is she dead? Is that why you're here?"

"She's fine. She's alive and…well," Usagi rushed to assure him, and just like that two of their possible if implausible cover stories were blown.

"So she ran away." His lips curved downward. "From me."

"No, she didn't run off," Usagi added, and their only plausible cover story was blown.

He brightened up a little bit. "Oh good! She told me she does that sometimes, like that's why she went around the world, to run away from some dark past she won't tell me about." He spoke a little too candidly. The indelicacy made Rei and Ami wince.

Besides, he was wrong. "Maybe she doesn't see it that way, but she would never run away from anything," Ami said. "She was running toward something."

Usagi could tell that Matthew was in for a long lecture. Her eyes began to wander around the apartment and she took in a few things – a drafting table, stale cookies on a desk, next to the stale cookies, a draft manuscript of some sort. She leaned forward and peered at the title.

DUMMIES' GUIDE TO THE SAILOR SENSHI

She nudged Rei who followed her gaze and nodded.

They turned their attentions back to Ami and Matthew, who were still engaged in 'conversation'.

"…I get it, Mizuno-san, I deeply apologize. I know now, that if she ever left me she would just dump me in person and it'd be because I wasn't good enough for her. It'd never be for some cowardly reason, she'd never just leave like that, and once again…"

"Stop groveling, Matthew, and listen up," Rei interrupted. "And be careful not to have a heart attack because what I'm about to say will certainly surprise you. Kino Makoto is Sailor Jupiter. Sailor Jupiter has been brainwashed by one of the alien invaders. And you need to get out of Tokyo and stay safe so you can greet her at her return."

Usagi handed him a piece of paper. "This is where my parents are staying. Go. Don't worry about Mako-chan. We'll get her back."

Matthew was speechless for a good five minutes before he finally found it in him to speak again. "What…what…Wait. How are you three going to get her back?" Although, Hino-san had some influential connections and if Aino-san was involved then maybe they could pull it off. Makoto sure did keep some very unlikely company. Very, very unlikely. His eyes narrowed as he thought of Makoto's circle of friends. "One, two, three, four, five, six, seven…eight…" He trailed off. "Oh my god."

"Don't think too much about it," Ami hastily said. "Just trust us, and go."

* * *

Secret identities.

The real identities of the Sailor Senshi should not have been that difficult to deduce. They did not wear masks, they wore body-revealing clothing that meant their figures could not be mistaken, their voices weren't appreciably modified, they had distinctive hair styles…

Yet nobody seemed to know anything about their real identities.

He had asked Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Uranus to de-transform. They had tried but their magic seemed to flatly refuse them. He had asked him who they were in civilian form. Once again they tried to tell him, they did actually speak their names, but it was like he couldn't hear it. Their names came out of their mouths as perfectly audible, comprehensible syllables and went into his ears as garbled nothingness.

He asked them who the others were in civilian form, to the exact same effect.

Well fine.

He'd have to change his plans a little bit.

* * *

Time was what they needed. Time to think of a plan. Time to rest up and heal. But time was something Hamilton was determined not to give them. He seemed determine to overwhelm them with disaster after disaster and Rei thought that it might very well work.

The day after her discussion with Usagi and Ami, Sailor Mars visited Neptune and Venus once again and spoke with them about their new shift in direction. Venus and Neptune hesitantly agreed to focus energies on Hamilton and just as they did so they heard their communicators blare.

Dread and anxiety read plainly on their faces. Only one person was in full fighting form. Ami, Hotaru, and Setsuna could use another day to recover. Mamoru and Rei, three days. He had been crushed by a bridge, he could barely stand; her arm had yet to heal completely and having one arm in a splint threw her off balance. Minako and Michiru, a week at least.

Haruka and Makoto were now their opponents and only one person in their group was more or less in full fighting form.

But they would not get the time they needed. No time to think, no time to recover.

There was only the time to fight.

* * *

Even though they were bandaged up and battered, Sailors Venus, Mars and Neptune refused to make a pathetic sight. When they arrived on the scene they stood tall and defiant and kept stolid expressions, even as they watched Sailor Uranus take down a building.

An office building, on a Tuesday, in the early afternoon.

They kept their expressions impassive, even as they heard the screams of the people trapped, injured or dying, in the building, even when Sailor Jupiter joined Uranus in destroying another building. They dropped down to ground level to join the others, who all had horrified looks on their faces. Sailor Moon and Mercury especially, they had tears in their eyes; even Tuxedo Mask and Sailor Pluto looked a little queasy.

They finally broke their expressions when Hamilton noticed that they had arrived and immediately gave Jupiter and Uranus the order to kill as many people as possible. They proceeded to fulfill this order too well.

Sailor Venus sprang into action and the others followed only a second behind. Lights of every color flashed as their attacks rushed toward Jupiter and Uranus and hit them squarely, stopping them long enough for Mars, Mercury and Tuxedo Mask to get into closer range. Venus and Neptune kept their distance, this time; if hand-to-hand fighting wouldn't work, maybe they'd have better results with their ranged attacks. Sailor Moon stayed by their side as well, and the three rained attacks down on Jupiter and Uranus. They tried to avoid the others but if they couldn't, so be it.

They had to stop Jupiter and Uranus at all costs, before they could kill any more people.

Hamilton had other plans, though. Where was Accra? She must have lost their last battle, she must be recovering, somewhere, which meant no one was here to stop Hamilton from firing his own attacks toward the Senshi. He aimed first for Moon, Venus and Neptune. His blasts pummeled them and sent them flying off the building they had been aiming from.

He descended on the others, energy beams immediately taking out Pluto and Saturn. He smiled sadistically when Mercury, Mars, and Tuxedo Mask turned to face him with obviously great trepidation. They were right to be afraid, he thought. He moved quickly, too quickly, and their attacks proved no more effective than they had ever been. Mercury aimed and fired off a blast of ice that he flung of like nothing before firing his own beam back at her. She screamed and stumbled backward. Mars took the chance to attack, a whirl of fire meant to consume. Hamilton easily stepped through it. He was getting too close to her; she leapt backward and fired off another shot that didn't affect him. Her attacks were joined by Sailor Mercury's and still he kept getting closer to her. More power, how could they gain more power? They had to make a deal with Accra, Mars thought, but look what happened to Jupiter and Uranus, who was to say Accra wouldn't pull that same thing with Neptune and Venus, still?

He was about a foot away and ready to strike her when Tuxedo Mask interceded with a well-placed slash with his staff. He smashed it into Hamilton's face, over and over again, and Hamilton's face was covered in red as his nose leaked blood, but he had finally had enough. He grabbed Tuxedo Mask's staff, pulled it from his grasp, and cracked it in too, before shoving Tuxedo Mask aside. He pushed his hand forward and Mars felt a strong wind force her backwards and off the building. She was saved just in time by an adrenaline-charged Tuxedo Mask, who flashed stepped to the edge and caught her arm. But it was her bad arm, and she had to fight through the blinding pain to reach upward with her other arm and pull herself over the ledge.

It was useless, though; a moment later Hamilton had flung Mercury at them and all three fell off the edge, landing painfully on the concrete sidewalk several stories below.

Then Accra arrived.

* * *

The two started fighting immediately. Mars leapt to her feet and pulled Tuxedo Mask and Mercury up until they, too, stood.

She looked around until she spotted Venus, Neptune, and Moon. Venus and Neptune's dressings had unraveled, they now hung off of them half-heartedly, showing off pink skin and deep bruises. Her own bandages had slipped off but her cuts had mostly scabbed over. Still a few stitches were opening and she thought it'd be a miracle if she didn't get an infection.

Sailors Moon, Venus and Neptune were circling around the building that Jupiter and Uranus were currently dismantling, trying to find a way to stop them even as bodies fell around them. Venus and Neptune had come to a decision; they ran into the building and Sailor Moon watched the windows tensely until the two came flying out of one window, smashing into the building on the other side of the street.

She waited, and waited, until Jupiter and Uranus were standing at the window ledge, and then she attacked, full blast, and her magic beam froze them, and Mars and Mercury and Tuxedo Mask rushed to her side to support her. They wrapped their hands around hers and helped her keep a steady grip on her wand, even as sweat slid down her face, even as her hands grew shaky.

There was a flash of bright white light and the beam was broken as they were pummeled into the ground.

* * *

He could hardly believe his eyes.

He had known about it, of course, had seen what little footage this planet's useless newscasters had managed to get, had put together all their roles, knew them well enough that he had expected Jupiter and Uranus to be the ones to sign up for more power at his offer. He had seen her try to stop Jupiter and Uranus the first time they were on opposite sides, had seen how the others seemed to think she could actually do so.

But seeing it was completely different, seeing Sailor Moon's first three allies rush to surround her and support her made Hamilton realize that if he could just eliminate her, the rest of them would be so demoralized they'd hardly put up a fight.

The blast he sent toward him shoved them to the ground and broke Sailor Moon's beam.

* * *

Hamilton's clear voice rang out in the sky above them, an order directed at Jupiter and Uranus: "Kill Sailor Moon."

Hell would consume them first, Sailor Mars thought. She, Mercury, and Tuxedo Mask were back on their feet and standing in front of Sailor Moon in the blink of an eye, just in time to serve as human shields as Uranus and Jupiter unleashed blasts of energy directed at her.

Another blast flew at them. Tuxedo Mask shoved Sailor Moon out of the way as Mars and Mercury made themselves scarce. The kinetic energy of the attack turned into a booming sound as it smashed the concrete that had been beneath their feet less than a second ago to smithereens. But there had been only one blast, Sailor Mars noted, and a quick glance confirmed that Pluto and Saturn had arrived and had Jupiter in their clutches.

New battle plan, then, another new strategy. Time for Mercury and Mars to try their hand against Uranus. The idea was laughable, but Mars thought if they followed two basic rules, they could maybe have a bit of a chance. Her rules: Avoid earthquakes, avoid being near falling buildings. She knew she could trust Mercury to have come to the same conclusions. Uranus's arm shot downward; Mercury and Mars jumped right as her palm hit the ground and made it shake. They couldn't stay airborne indefinitely but they kept up their leaps, narrowly avoiding falling into the jagged cracks that formed as the earth broke apart. Sailor Mars did a backward handspring and chanced a glance toward where she had last seen Neptune and Venus. They were no longer there; another backward leap and another stolen glance and she spotted them evacuating the buildings nearby. Venus flashed her a V; she flashed Venus a thumbs up in return; they'd keep Jupiter and Uranus occupied while they cleared the area of people, avoid any more civilian deaths.

One final leap and her foot made contact with Uranus's face. Uranus stumbled backward as Mars pushed off and regained solid ground, but Uranus was quick to recover; she swung back at Mars and she didn't duck quickly enough; the side of her head felt the glancing blow of Uranus's fist. But she had been knocked aside and had left Mercury with an open shot that she promptly took. A blast of ice slammed Uranus into a building. Mars pulled herself back to her feet. She stepped backward until she was side by side with Sailor Mercury. They waited for Uranus to emerge and she did so eventually, but they had not expected her to rush at them like a demented demon only to ignore them entirely and simply leap over them.

Mars reacted before she even knew what she was doing, a column of fire spiraling toward Uranus, stopping her moments before she reached Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask. She fired shot after shot and was joined by Mercury's own attack. The two kept her suppressed, wave after wave of attacks immobilizing her until she had had enough. With a growl she raised one hand, palm open to the sky; the other hand was pointing upward and moving in slow circles.

With some dread Mars felt her hair and skirt lift.

The wind picked up and soon enough their attacks were useless, dissipating into the atmosphere; a few more moments and the wind was at gale force, making their hair whip wildly around them, forcing them to stumble, their light weights almost making them victims to a few of the currents that were sweeping upward. As it was they were slowly but surely being forced to the side of the street and flat against the walls of a building, exactly the position they had wanted to avoid. It collapsed on top of them soon enough, the walls peeling away from the sides to land on top of them and bury them in chunks of concrete and choke them with the dust that arose.

And Hamilton clarified his order, only making things worse: "Don't even engage the others, just kill Sailor Moon!"

Sailor Mars heard this and quickly blasted herself free, the rocks that had been burying her a moment ago flung every which way as she made a path to freedom. She pulled herself out and in a millisecond took in the scene that presented itself to her.

Sailor Venus had rejoined the fight in a rather unique way. She was now driving a police cruiser down the street. It would pass by her in less than a second. At that moment Sailor Uranus would be on the opposite side of that car as she sprinted toward Sailor Moon. And there, a few meters away from Uranus, Tuxedo Mask was still steadfastly by Sailor Moon's side, covering her with his cape.

She'd have to trust three people: Herself, Venus, and Tuxedo Mask.

She did not even have to take the split-second decision to put her trust in these people. She acted without a second thought.

She sent a blast of fire hurtling toward the car.

These two things happened nearly simultaneously: Tuxedo Mask scooped Sailor Moon up and put as much distance between themselves and Uranus as possible; Venus pulled the car into a sideways roll, threw herself out of the window, and watched as Mars' flame hit the car.

The car exploded right as it reached Sailor Uranus.

* * *

Sailor Moon, Sailor Venus, and Tuxedo Mask were deathly silent for a second, waiting to see if Uranus would survive such wreckage.

Sailor Mars immediately placed her bets on "Yes, of course she survived". She spared a moment to help Mercury drag herself out of the rubble before dashing to the flaming car. She dropped her stance, knees and elbows bent, and watched, waited, until Uranus freed herself from the flaming wreckage. Flickering flames danced along the edges of her sailor suit; she smelled of fresh blood and burnt hair; still she stood up, and she stared at Sailor Mars for a long stretch before turning, her gaze now fixed on a frightened-looking Sailor Moon and a somewhat charred Tuxedo Mask.

Her intent was clear. Sailor Mars leapt at her before she could take a step toward the two and shoved her to the ground. Her good hand lit up and she let her fist fly at Uranus' solar plexus. Uranus grunted in pain, but with one powerful kick from Uranus, Mars was on the ground with her opponent above her. Uranus was ruthless. Even as Mars tried to roll away, she would not let her escape. She pinned her down with a knee on her windpipe and Mars' vision dimmed as Uranus paid her back with several smacks to the face. She tasted copper and heard ringing in her head. Uranus was bigger than her and more powerful and a dull sense of panic rose up to choke her. Uranus might actually kill her, she thought.

* * *

Sailor Venus hadn't quite escaped the explosion unscathed and she wondered if her skin would ever get a chance to completely heal. But she had bigger concerns at the moment than the sharp pain that bit into her. Sailor Mercury looked half dead on the other side of the street, having barely managed to pull herself free from the collapse; she had been trapped under structural pillars whereas Sailor Mars had only gotten buried in the superficial exterior walls.

Still it was debatable who fared better. Sailor Mars was now getting beaten to a pulp by Sailor Uranus. It would be just too pathetic of a way for her to die. Not a chance she'd allow it. Sailor Venus dragged herself onto her knees and aimed carefully.

"Crescent Beam!"

The beam hit Uranus hard enough to fling her off of Sailor Mars, who lay limp on the ground. But it seemed to have reminded Uranus that she had another, greater goal. She resumed her path toward Sailor Moon, and Sailor Venus was too far, and Sailor Mars clearly wasn't going to get up.

Sailor Moon pushed Tuxedo Mask away and let her hands rest on her hips, her stance wide, about to give a speech, were it not for Sailor Neptune, who landed right in front of her.

"Sailor Uranus, stop," she said, her voice soft but underlain with a commanding force. "Stop. You're being forced to do things you know aren't right."

Uranus did not seem to hear her or to care. All that mattered was that Neptune was in her way and she had to clear her away. Neptune took the full force of the impact from the World Shaking that was sent her way and only stumbled back a little bit.

"Uranus, stop! You're half dead, you're exhausted, and me, I have yet to begin fighting in earnest." She raised her chin. "There is no hope of winning for you."

Uranus scoffed. "Mars, Mercury, and Venus combined couldn't stop me. What makes you think you'll be able to?"

"They don't know you like I do," Sailor Neptune replied, her voice still steady. She pulled an arm back, the other one she stretched out in front of her.

"Deep…submerge!"

Sailor Venus shook her head and finally managed to rise to her feet again. She ran forward until she stood side by side next to Sailor Neptune.

"Let me help you. Venus Love-Me Chain!" The chain wrapped itself around Sailor Uranus and she had been weakened enough that this time it actually held for a while as Neptune pummeled her with attack after attack.

It did not hold for long enough. Uranus cracked the chain and Venus felt despair grip at her. Mars and Mercury had beat up on Uranus before hitting her with an exploding car and now she and Neptune were beating up on her and _it still wasn't enough_.

Uranus wouldn't stop until she had disabled all of them, until she had cleared all obstacles in her path to killing Sailor Moon.

There was now only one option.

Something bright glinted in front of Venus and Neptune, a spark of light that stretched out and solidified into a large piece of shining metal.

A sword.

This sword before them had appeared in this moment because this was the moment it was needed.

That was how their magic worked, Venus knew; she just desperately wished it wasn't so.

And she knew it was hers. Not only because it seemed obvious, that the sword was hers, as leader of the Senshi, but also because she remembered Sailor Neptune's words, and knew she could never ask Sailor Neptune to do what must be done in this case.

She exchanged a glance with Sailor Neptune, who had been keeping Uranus at bay with more ranged attacks. The attacks sucked up power and energy; Neptune was growing tired, and she was resigned to her destiny.

"Fate has been nothing but kind to me," she said, "It is time to pay up. I'm sorry you will have to pay as well, Sailor Venus."

Sailor Venus said nothing in reply; she could only watch as Sailor Neptune leaped forward and engaged Sailor Uranus in hand to hand combat.

Vaguely she realized that the others were watching her. She ignored their looks. She had to focus, be ready to strike. She reached forward and grabbed the sword, felt its weight in her hands, experimentally jabbed it in the air. Yes, this sword had always belonged to her.

There. Sailor Neptune had caught Sailor Uranus in a full nelson. Sailor Uranus struggled to free herself and Sailor Neptune strained to keep her in place.

"Sailor Venus!" Neptune shouted.

This was it. This was it. She took a second to consider her options. She could try to run Uranus through without hurting Neptune, it would be better for their purposes that Neptune remain alive to fight alongside them, but she had trapped Uranus in this position for a reason, was pressed tightly against her back, and Sailor Venus thought that maybe Neptune deserved to have one last act of selfishness.

She'd let her body decide for her. She dashed forward, sword drawn back, ready to strike. She reached them all too soon, felt the sword break flesh and run through them both, saw the blade sink into them until the hilt reached Uranus' stomach. Blood poured from her and stained Venus's gloves a dark red.

She thought her heart would tear out of her chest. She pulled the sword back, struggled to free it, but it seemed to be stuck in the pair. Uranus looked shocked; Neptune had shut her eyes tightly, her lips a downward curve; both were dematerializing into little sparks of light that floated up into the sky, they turned transparent, they disappeared; only their tiaras remained. The tiaras hovered in the air as the gems embedded in them glowed. The two bright sparks detached from their settings and sloped gently downward until they met the hilt of the sword. In a flash of light they were embedded within it, amber and aquamarine gems that glowed before dimming to a luster.

The tiaras fell to the ground, the golden bands the only things that remained of Neptune and Uranus.

Then they, too, disappeared.

She barely heard Sailor Moon screaming out their names – "Neptune! Uranus!" – over and over again, barely heard the clash of Accra, Hamilton, Pluto, Saturn and Jupiter still fighting a distance away, above them, barely heard Mars' footsteps as she rushed to her side, grabbed her shoulders, shook her roughly and tried to snap her out of it – "Venus! Sailor Venus!".

She did, however, feel the impact when Mars finally gave up and simply slapped her in the face. She gasped and clutched the sword tightly.

"Venus, look!" Sailor Mars pointed toward the sky. Pluto and Saturn had managed to keep Jupiter occupied for a long stretch but now they were hurtling downward. Jupiter stood on a building looking triumphant.

Then she turned her gaze toward the rest of the group.

* * *

"Sailor Jupiter, I am sorry we must meet under such circumstances."

Normally Jupiter would have apologized to both Pluto and Saturn, but now there was no time to talk. Hamilton had told them to kill Sailor Moon and she needed to do so immediately. Pluto and Saturn looked determined to get in the way, though. She had to deal with them, first. Size up the opponent. Strengths: They were both very, very smart, they were both very, very powerful, and what powers they did have were very creepy. Weaknesses:

Well fine. She'd just have to watch out for their strengths and go all out in the meanwhile. She raised her hand and let the electricity crackle around her. The static made her hair stand on end and she grinned sadistically. Pluto and Saturn watched her warily, staff and glaive pointed at her, ready to attack.

She brought her hand down and a flash of lightning appeared from the sky and struck them. They hissed in pain as it struck, she tried to overload their nervous systems. The easiest way to deal with them would be kill them, she thought. She raised her other hand. The air rumbled heavily and a second lightning strike flashed down moments later.

She finally let up. Pluto and Saturn had fallen to their knees but they quickly pulled themselves back up and exchanged a quick glance.

"We have to kill her," Pluto said. "She sincerely tried to kill us just then. I believe this willingness will extend to Sailor Moon."

"But…"

Whatever Saturn's objection would have been was cut short by another attack from Sailor Jupiter. She sent electric blasts their way and they dodged just in time to avoid it. More blasts, more dodging, more moving forward, until Sailor Saturn arrived close up and slashed at Jupiter with her glaive. There went a tendon; that had certainly hit bone; it hurt quite a bit but she had a goal, and the goal overrode everything else.

She had to kill Sailor Moon.

She stepped back and launched another attack but it was met by an attack from Sailor Pluto and those cursed ribbons of pain from Saturn. Pain meant nothing to her at this point. She grabbed at the ribbons and pulled them away but they kept coming at her, wrapping themselves around her and draining her energy. This, combined with the attacks from Sailor Pluto, and she was sure she was beat, she would die, and then she would not be able to fulfill Hamilton's orders.

She had to kill Sailor Moon.

She fought through the pain, she could hear herself screaming but she didn't really feel her vocal cords move. Her eyesight was blurry from pain but she could still see their two figures well enough. She took in deep gulps of air, focused on getting the air charged, and clapped her hands.

Pluto and Saturn were suddenly zapped by electricity and they screamed from the pain. It had been a short, quick zap, but very painful nonetheless, and it gave Jupiter the time she needed to send vines flying out from the ground beneath and have them wrap around Pluto and Saturn. Once they were tightly bound she rushed toward Saturn.

She grabbed Sailor Saturn by the neck and squeezed. She could heard Pluto yell at her to stop, but she only heard her vaguely, as if she was in a pool and Pluto stood outside of it. Pluto pulled at the vines. Jupiter kept her captured for as long as she could but Pluto eventually freed herself.

Jupiter did not let go of Saturn. She did not let go when she was hit by a Dead Scream. She did not let go when Sailor Pluto smashed her staff into her face and began to wail on Jupiter. She did not let go when Pluto tried to pry her hands away from Saturn.

She only let go when Pluto grabbed Saturn's glaive and slashed at Jupiter's hands. She needed her hands to kill Sailor Moon; she was forced to let go. By then Saturn was hardly breathing. She took a step back and grabbed the glaive's handle.

Pluto held a tight grip on the glaive but did not make a move to use it. She looked conflicted.

"This might be it," she muttered to herself. "Time – "

Oh, right, that was one of the powers Jupiter did not really understand and Jupiter had an extremely negative view of attacks she could not comprehend. She pressed forward on the glaive and tilted it so it slashed at Pluto's neck. Pluto was caught by surprise. She coughed a few times; the glaive had slashed not deeply enough to kill her but deeply enough to make her fall to her knees and cough up too much blood.

They were pretty much dead, Jupiter thought. They were out of the way, anyway. She pulled Saturn up and tossed her off the building. She kicked Pluto off and the two landed on the ground one after the other.

This was it. She turned her attention to the rest of the group. They were all standing around Sailor Moon. Her target. She leapt from building to building, rushing toward her. She landed in front of her and she was seized with some dull terror. Something inside her was telling her _you absolutely cannot, under any circumstances, hurt Sailor Moon, let alone kill her!_

But she was going to kill her. She couldn't kill her. She wanted to kill her. She didn't want to kill her. She was going to kill her.

She looked at Sailor Moon, whose eyes were wide and tear-filled.

_You can't kill her! You're supposed to be her guardian! You're supposed to protect her!_

She had to kill her.

She lunged at her.

* * *

It wasn't over. She had just killed Uranus and Neptune but she still had more to do. She already had blood on her hands and a shattered heart but that wasn't enough.

Venus felt her hand shake. Jupiter was approaching rapidly, bounding from building to building with astonishing speed.

The sword almost slipped out of her grasp. She barely caught it before it fell.

Uranus and Neptune were dead, or gone, anyway. Pluto and Saturn were out. Mars and Mercury were barely alive. She and Tuxedo Mask had taken serious damage. She might be able to keep Jupiter at bay, for a while, but she was sure she'd overpower them, and Sailor Moon – well Sailor Moon just wouldn't do what was necessary.

Could she?

She felt Mars grasp her hands.

"Sailor Venus, if you're not going to do it, give me the sword." Her voice was soft and shaky.

"No," she immediately replied. This was her duty, her role. Those days as Sailor V, fighting crime all alone for so much time, had prepared her to do this one job, her most important task, as leader of this group of very powerful magical warriors.

To take one out if necessary.

Her hands trembled and a rivulet of sweat slid down her back.

She had already done it once.

The amber and aquamarine jewels inlaid in the hilt glinted.

She could do it again.

She glanced to her right. Sailor Mars and Tuxedo Mask both had their eyes warily fixed on Sailor Jupiter approaching quickly. Sailor Moon, on the other hand, looked at Venus with horror in her eyes, and a glance at Sailor Mercury confirmed that she was doing the same, because those two had never known she would be capable of this. She was capable of it, she knew, because even though she heard their voices in her head – _No, how could you kill her, please, please, don't do it_ – her grip grew tighter and she shifted her weight forward.

Sailor Jupiter had arrived. She stood in front of them, silent and intimidating. Her gaze skipped over the others entirely, she had fixed her sights on Sailor Moon.

Silence, for an instant –

And then Sailor Jupiter lunged for Sailor Moon –

And Sailor Venus lunged forward just as quickly, driving the sword into Sailor Jupiter, putting her weight forward so it impaled her straight through.

Sailor Jupiter looked shocked, eyes wide as she stared down at the blade running her through.

Little balls of light began to surround her, peeling away from her being and scattering into the ether. She dematerialized, even as Sailor Mercury finally got back to her feet and dashed toward her, to make a futile grab at her she kept disappearing, until she had entirely vanished and all that remained was an emerald jewel newly set in the hilt of the sword that glowed briefly before dimming to the luster of a normal gem, just like the amber and aquamarine stones had.

Sailor Venus let go of the sword. It clattered to the ground, the metallic ding echoing. She followed after it, dropping to her knees.

She looked at the ground and rubbed the tears away from her eyes before she looked back up at Accra and Hamilton.

She froze.

They had stopped fighting.

They were both smiling.

* * *

They floated down toward the remaining Sailor Senshi. They barely made a sound when they landed. Lord Hamilton waved toward the news crews, whose vans were parked just outside of the police barriers that had been set up. Some of the braver cameramen and reporters gingerly pushed past the barriers and approached.

"People of Japan. As you might have noticed, my sister and I had been fighting." He gestured at Accra, who bowed. "However, the Sailor Senshi have shown us something very important. It is much easier to accomplish a goal with a little teamwork. Which is why we have joined together. This planet will soon be ours." With a sweep of his arm he gestured toward the Sailor Senshi. "Your so-called defenders cannot protect you."

Sailor Venus worked hard to keep her face neutral even as she winced internally, wondering how they must look.

"They have imploded, have killed each other, and they are now down three. People of earth, you may as well give of now." He shook his head. "Though I know some of you will remain stubborn, Lady Accra will make sure you change your minds."

"Thank you. We will speak again at a later time, loyal subjects."

He snapped his fingers, and he and Accra disappeared.

The news crews were left bewildered and most definitely uneasy. Sailor Venus waited patiently. Soon enough a reporter had shoved a microphone at her face. She cut him off before he could even ask his question.

"No. People of earth, do not give up. You should all remain stubborn. We will protect you. Sailors Uranus and Jupiter died because Hamilton's machinations turned them into threats. At great personal cost, we have eliminated these threats. Sailor Neptune sacrificed herself to ensure that you would all remain safe, and I assure you that any of us would do the same, have done the same."

She stepped back. Sailor Moon stepped forward and took the microphone. There were tear tracks on her face and her voice was raw from yelling but she spoke in a steady, clear voice.

"Thank you all. We'll find Hamilton and Accra, wherever and whenever they appear, and we'll fight against them, and we will defeat them."

* * *

Save for Hotaru and Setsuna, who slept away their wounds in the condo's bedrooms, the Senshi sat around the television in Rei's living room. The only light in the room was that of the screen. It cast a glow on their faces, and reflected in their pupils as a bright rectangle.

They hadn't been able to take a moment to mourn Haruka, Michiru, and Makoto. Anyway, their comrades weren't dead. There were no bodies to cremate and their spirits were trapped in the hilt of Sailor Venus' sword, in those little gemstones that shone brightly whenever the sword caught the light.

Artemis and Luna had suggested as much. They both had vague memories of a sword called a Soul Keeper, though neither were certain that it was the sword Sailor Venus had just wielded. Minako convinced herself that it was. She had to believe that they weren't lost forever. Her faith made it easier for her to bear the glances the others threw at her.

Because although they couldn't mourn, that didn't stop the tears they kept shedding, the sniffles as they tried to hold back, and the utter silence that had befallen them.

For Minako, for all of them, all Usagi could feel was a deep sorrow. She returned again and again to the thought that they had only been fourteen when this had all started, that they had tried hard to have things like a springtime adolescence and stable lives as adults, that maybe the others could have had it if she had only been strong enough to face the monsters down on her own. She hadn't even been strong enough to face the cardians on her own, so long ago, and they were nothing compared to the galactic threats they had later faced, and continued to face.

She'd never be able to free them from their burden, she'd never be able to liberate Minako from her especially heavy duty. And now Haruka and Michiru's lives had been cut short, and if any two people deserved to have a long and happy life together it was them. They had a radically different way of thinking, they shone too brightly, they were her friends who had lost so much before and had now lost their lives. And Makoto –

But she couldn't even think about her beautiful friend getting run through with a sword. She felt a horrible, horrible hollowness, like a chasm in her lungs.

Ami had easily dredged up anger and indignation. For the first time in a long time she was pissed, at Minako, and at the universe. She already missed Haruka and Michiru, but it was Makoto's demise that filled her with ire. She had barely spoken to her best friend for two years, and when she had returned they were immediately thrust once again into the world of planetary conquerors bent on world domination. They had barely spoken a few words to each other and the thought that she was gone now overwhelmed her so completely.

Did Minako really have to kill her? Yes, she knew, logically. Minako was just the agent of a fate already determined. They might not even really be dead, though as far as she was concerned if they were lost with no known way of getting back, they might as well be. She wasn't right to be angry at her, but all the words she wanted to spew out were cutting, angry ones, so she had remained stony faced and completely mute since then.

Rei thought that Minako's decision was a straightforward one. Uranus and Jupiter had threatened the Moon Princess's existence. The threat had to be removed. But though she had offered to do it for her she wondered if she would have actually been able to go through with it. She admired Minako, for that. She pitied Minako, too, though she tried not to let it show. To kill Michiru was a less straightforward decision, and Rei had been the only one close enough to know that had Minako angled the sword a little differently, had she put less weight into the attack, maybe Michiru wouldn't have had to die along with Haruka. Maybe the better choice, as a leader, would have been to keep Neptune alive, another soldier for their ranks; but her last conversations with Michiru were still clear in her mind and she knew that the only choice, as a human, had been to kill her.

But she remembered. She remembered how gutted and guilty she had felt when she'd been able to do nothing to help Jupiter, and Mercury, and Venus, as they died facing those DD Girls, and she hadn't killed them or anything. She couldn't imagine how Minako felt.

And she couldn't even think about the fact of Makoto, Michiru, and Haruka's deaths. If she did she would crack and if one of them did, the rest of them would. They were barely keeping it together but they had to, they had to carefully keep the shards together because they had enemies to fight, and a planet to defend.

They cried softly, quietly, and didn't speak about it.

On the television Venus had just run Neptune and Uranus through with her sword, and a few minutes later Jupiter suffered the same fate. Now Venus spoke, after Hamilton's speech, but the words sounded hollow with Mars next to her, face smeared with blood, arm bent at a very unnatural angle, with Mercury on her knees just a few meters away, covered in cuts and with cracked ribs that forced her to take quite audible, wheezing breaths, with Tuxedo Mask's finery ripped to shreds and his hair half burnt off, with Pluto and Saturn not even anywhere to be seen.

"Minako-chan," Usagi said, her voice tentative, "I'm sorry. I wish I could say something else, something less clichéd, but…"

But she had no words at all. She shifted closer to Minako and grasped her arm.

Minako shook her off. Usagi's boundless sympathy, Ami's restrained ire, and Rei's obvious pity only made it harder for her to live with herself. At least ire and pity she deserved; Usagi's sympathy bit the worst. Usagi would have looked for another way, had there only been more time, had they been strong enough to ward off Jupiter and Uranus and Hamilton and Accra, Usagi would have brought them back to normal. She wouldn't have had to…dematerialize them. The sword only appeared in front of her because of their failure, because of her failure, to be strong enough.

Usagi tentatively reached for her again. Minako stood up. "Stop. Just stop it." She took a deep breath. "Excuse me."

She exited the room, made her way to the hallway where she leaned against the wall, closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths. The video of her stabbing Jupiter, Uranus and Neptune played again in her mind, over and over.

She heard footsteps. Hey Mina-chan, 1000 yen says it's Usagi. Yeah, right, Artemis. 10 000 says it's the white knight. She opened her eyes and was not surprised to see Rei in front of her.

"What's your problem?" Rei demanded.

Minako sighed. "Rei-chan, why are you here? Are you checking up on me for my sake, or hers?"

She crossed her arms. "You're my friend. I'm worried about you. But a loudmouthed, vain volleyball captain would have never made friends with a short-tempered, equally vain shrine maiden had it not been for her. I'm here for both your sakes."

She closed her eyes again. "Tell her I'm sorry. I really am. But I need some time alone." No, she didn't need time alone. She needed Artemis. They hadn't even been separated for that long but she missed her constant companion, her mentor and guide. She had to see him. She'd take the first train out of here, see him for just a second, get some advice, and take the first train back.

"Okay," Rei said, "But don't take too long. We need you."

Minako smiled at that and turned to leave. Just as she reached the door it swung open and she narrowly avoided a smack to the face. Yuuichirou and Mamoru stood at the door. They looked horrified. They barreled past Rei and Minako who trailed after them. Yuuchirou ripped the remote from Usagi's hands and switched to another news channel where an obviously distressed woman was reading a message.

"I repeat. Lord Hamilton and Lady Accra will spare the life of anyone who brings them the head of Sailor Pluto or Meioh Setsuna, last seen leaving her _Timeless Designs_ offices.

"Likewise, anybody who brings them the head or civilian identity of Sailor Moon, Sailor Mercury, Sailor Mars, or Tuxedo Mask will be spared. Lady Accra has graciously provided information that may help with this. Sailor Neptune was Kaioh Michiru, solo violinist; Sailor Uranus was Tenoh Haruka, racecar driver. Sailor Jupiter's civilian identity is still unknown. Sailor Venus is Aino Minako, pop star, and Sailor Saturn is Tomoe Hotaru, student at the Tokyo University of Science.

"Any close associates of theirs should be under suspicion.

"However, anyone who harms any of their relatives will be punished by death.

"And anyone who harms Sailor Venus or Sailor Saturn will be punished by torture and death.

"I repeat. Lord Hamilton and Lady Accra will…"

Minako spared a moment to think of how strange it was that Lady Accra would actually keep her promises to her and to Michiru. She spared another second to say goodbye to the idea of a visit to Artemis.

But her thoughts were quickly overwhelmed by this latest, serious problem. She grabbed Rei's arm and by the stunned look on her face they were thinking the same thing. Rei was possibly the only known close associate of Minako, Setsuna, Michiru and Haruka. If someone dug a little into her life they would find some names that recurred very often – Tsukino Usagi, Mizuno Ami, Chiba Mamoru, Kino Makoto.

One word ran through Minako's mind. _Shit. Shit shit shit._

There was a knock at the door.

Anyone who would visit Rei's condo was already in it. Security would not have let just anyone through without contacting Rei, first. Yuuichirou walked quickly to the door and peered through the peephole.

He turned back toward the rest of them, who had gathered in the hallway. He held up seven fingers and then mimed firing a rifle.

Too fast. It was happening too quickly. Time, they needed more time, they would never have enough time. Mamoru had roused Hotaru and Setsuna. Setsuna's expression was especially grim, something that Minako took as the worst possible sign.

Maybe they didn't know. She exchanged a tense glance with Rei, who nodded once. Minako signaled the rest of them to hide away in other rooms. She and Hotaru crammed themselves into the hallway closet. They left it open just a bit, so they could hear everything and burst out to back Rei up should she need it.

* * *

Rei hoped her acting chops were up to par. She opened the door.

Rei was especially not giving to cussing but all she could think was _Well, fuck_. Her senior staff stood gathered at her doorway. "Yes?" she asked, in her most disdainful tone.

"Hino-san," that betraying bastard CFO said, "I understand you're friends with Aino-san, and Meioh-san and were friends with Kaioh-san and Tenoh-san and," here he lifted up an address book and squinted his eyes, "Tomoe-san."

"Yes?" she repeated.

"We were just wondering…um…if maybe…you're Sailor Mars?"

She raised an eyebrow, like she could not believe the stupidity of what she had just heard. "Do you know how busy I am? When would I have the time to be some supernatural crimefighter?"

They exchanged uneasy glances. It was true that Hino's schedule was usual booked solid from early morning to late evening. But it left overnight, and they said as much.

"Like Batman? I know it doesn't seem like it sometimes, but I am a human. I need sleep. Now get out before you all find yourselves jobless."

"Who cares about jobs." Another one stepped forward and raised his rifle. "When those aliens take over we're going to be dead anyway. Let's kill her just in case she is Sailor Mars." As he squeezed the trigger Rei snapped her good arm forward and pushed it upward. The bullet lodged itself harmlessly into the ceiling. She grabbed the barrel and ripped it out of the man's hands before smashing his face with it. The butt met his nose with a loud crack and he reeled back with a grunt of pain.

Too fast, too strong, too able for someone who spent most of her time at a desk or in meetings, for someone as slight of build as she was, for someone with a broken arm.

She thought quickly. "You think a Senator's daughter wouldn't know self-defense?"

"How about a little test, then," her COO said. He pulled a flamethrower from a bag at his feet.

"You're going to burn me to death?"

"You'd get hurt but I don't think you'd die, if you're Sailor Mars," he speculated. He aimed. The hallway was too narrow to go anywhere but forward or backward. She rushed forward to try to stop him but he was too far away. He fired. No, no, no, try as she might Sailor Mars would just not let her burn and when he stopped the stream of fire her clothes were alight but her skin and hair were fine.

_Well fuck_.

"We need her head!"

Her eyes widened when the man she had disarmed reached into the bag and pulled out an axe. Somehow that seemed so much worse than the bullets that were flying toward her. She could already picture her head on a pike, broadcast for the world to see, with Hamilton and Accra on either side, laughing at her demise.

Sailor Venus and Saturn burst out of the closet and the men's eyes widened. Even though they knew that Hino Rei was Sailor Mars, she hadn't seemed threatening in her civilian form. Seeing Venus, her hands gripping a glowing chain, was another matter altogether. Sailor Saturn was even worse, with her gloomy appearance that highlighted the shining blade of her death scythe.

They knocked the seven of them out quickly enough but right as Venus knocked the last one out, the elevator to her floor dinged and several more people poured out. They all wielded guns and other weapons. Venus and Saturn backed into the apartment and slammed the door shut behind them. The others began to pile furniture against the door.

Those seven people had been from her company. Something niggled at the back of her mind. They said they wouldn't touch their families, but…

She grabbed Setsuna and Sailor Venus. "Your employees. Everyone who works for you."

Setsuna and Venus understood her meaning and immediately started calling their people. Rei, too, grabbed her phone and thought about who to call. She had slowed business down as much as possible but the shareholders had complained. In the end she had been forced to leave more staff than she had planned to leave in the main building. She got through to Shizuka.

"Make sure everyone is out of that building. Tell everyone they should get as far away from Tokyo as possible."

"Yes, Hino-san. Um…or should I say…Sailor Mars?"

"Yes. Yes. This is an order from Hino Rei as both everyone's boss and as Sailor Mars."

She ended the call and frantically wracked her mind. How were they going to get out of here? Her condo was so high up she doubted even Minako would be able to find a safe way to reach the ground. Mamoru and Yuuichirou were pushing against the furniture at the door. They held the barricade steady even as the people outside tried to bust it down. It would hold for a few more minutes, but if they got their hands on a battering ram…

A whirring sound in the distance grew louder. The women rushed to the balcony and watched as a helicopter drew closer. It was Urawa, piloting the Haruka-and-Michiru-copter.

* * *

The skies above Tokyo were clear. Evidently every airline had grounded flights to and from Tokyo as soon as Hamilton and Accra had made their threats. The buses and highways were also jam-packed, bumper-to-bumper traffic as the two aliens had already destroyed many of the high-speed rail stations.

"I didn't know you were an amateur helicopter pilot, Urawa," Mamoru noted.

"I only started recently. Setsuna-san gave me a book about it and it seemed interesting."

Everyone but Urawa turned to stare at Setsuna, who smoothly re-directed the topic. "I believe Kumada-san and Urawa-san ought to leave Tokyo."

"Nope," the two replied.

"You're not safe here," Rei said. "They said they wouldn't touch our families but I don't think boyfriends count. Which make you two pretty much the prime targets to get to us."

"Not family, hmm?" Urawa shifted. "Then, um, what if we got married? Husbands have to count, we'd be in the same family register."

Yuuchirou nodded.

Ami looked incensed but still refused to speak. Rei was too happy to take the mantle for her. She smacked Urawa, not even bothered when the helicopter shook for a moment before being righted.

"First of all, that is actually the worst marriage proposal of all time." She pointed at Yuuichirou. "And you, what are you even thinking, agreeing with him? No, no, absolutely not."

"Besides," Saturn said, "Kumada Rei just sounds…wrong."

Venus cracked a smile. "Though no offense, but Urawa Ami sounds even worse."

Everyone winced and had to nod in agreement. Urawa tightened his grip on the control stick.

"Fine, fine! No marriages. We still can't leave you, though."

Rei thought she might just kill them herself and get it over with. She rose to do so but Usagi pulled her back to her seat and with a voice like steel, said: "Yes, you can, and you will. You two are going to leave this city. You two will not make yourselves targets while your girlfriends, _who are actual superheroines_, are busy protecting the 13 million people in this city, the 130 million in this country, the 7 billion on this planet." She leaned forward and softened her voice. "Please. Go find oji-san and Mizuno-san out in the country, and protect them. I personally promise you, when this is all over, you'll find Rei-chan and Ami-chan again, alive and well."

For a few moments all that was heard was the whirring of the blades above them.

Then: "Fine."

Usagi leaned back and grinned. "Thank you!" Her grin fell instantly when Mamoru nudged her and showed her the screen on his smartphone. "But first, you have to drop us off at Kaerimasu Tower."

Kobayashi Corp's main building. Rei grabbed the phone out of her hand and stared at the video playing. The audio from the phone was tinny and barely audible but Rei could hear it all too well.

"Hino Rei, you have been identified as Sailor Mars." Hamilton was addressing the camera directly. A few feet away, right at the edge of the building, stood Accra, next to a bound Shizuka. "Come to the rooftop directly. We will hold ourselves a little execution. Arrive in your civilian form, or your assistant will take your place."

_Well fuck!_

* * *

No one bothered to argue Rei out of complying with Hamilton and Accra's demands. When they arrived they climbed down the ladder after her in their magically superpowered states and surrounded her.

"I don't mind that you've brought your fellow warriors, but if any of them interfere, say goodbye to the girl." He waved her forward. She approached him. She was just a foot away from him. He didn't look threatening at all, from this distance. He was such a pretty boy, she thought disdainfully. He was no evil Beryl, or Nehelenia, or Galaxia, she told herself. He was just another Kunzite, or Ali, or Dimande, or Tiger's Eye.

"Face the camera."

She sighed and turned to face the camera. She was in her pajamas and undoubtedly looked like an utter mess with disheveled hair and smeared makeup. This was not one to add to the 'Media Appearances' part of her website. The cameraman and the reporter were one building over. This was apparently the closest anyone wanted to get to the invading aliens, even reporters, who were notoriously brave. All the better for them, she hoped the distance would keep them safe.

"People of Earth. Sailor Mars, aka Hino Rei, will soon meet her demise. But not before she reveals the identity of the four we are still missing."

She laughed. "Might as well just kill me, then."

Hamilton slapped her in the face. She hissed. Physical blows hurt a whole lot more without magic to shield her. "You might as well reveal them. People around the world are already looking into your personal life." He peered at the rest of the Senshi. "Where will we find their names? They must be co-workers, or friends, probably best friends, and maybe more. I heard something interesting from that useless Watanabe."

Rei clenched her jaw. Why did they always have to bring it up, and why at the worst possible times? "Shut up," she spat out. "Aren't you going to let Shizuka go?"

"Not until you're dead," he said lightly. "And since you're so insistent, we'll kill you right now."

She looked up at the sky and muttered a string of phrases, over and over again.

He looked at her skeptically. "What are you doing?"

"Getting the kami to curse you."

She felt the back of her head slam against the hard roof concrete and screamed in pain. She clutched her head and felt something wet and slippery at the back of it. She heard the others call her name but she waved them away because she was not going to let Shizuka die. She would find a way.

She pulled herself back up only to have Hamilton grab her bad arm and smile too genially. "This is what you get for trying to curse my afterlife."

She couldn't completely stamp down the fear that rose within her and it was fulfilled a moment later as she heard a crack and felt burning pain up and down her arm. Even with magic she doubted it would ever heal properly at this point. She determinedly did not scream or even shout out, though her lower lip trembled and she had to blink very rapidly to stop the tears that formed in her eyes.

"Everyone, your heroes, the Sailor Senshi, are nothing but humans, after all."

She narrowed her eyes.

There was no way.

They were nothing but humans, in many ways, yes.

But they had spent thirteen years – most of their youth, all of their adulthood, all of the rest of their lives – fighting, training, striving. They were nothing but humans, yes, but she would show him what it meant to be nothing but a human.

She had definitely not spent so much time struggling to regain her powers just to have them be useless at such a crucial moment. She thought of how she could easily light a candle, or her fireplace, or a coal grill, without having to transform into Sailor Mars.

So maybe she wouldn't be able to really hurt either Hamilton or Accra with an attack.

But she could at least surprise them. She quickly glanced at Sailor Venus, who nodded every slightly. Venus understood her plan, probably. She had to bank on it anyway. She clutched her arm, as if in pain, and spread her palm out.

She fired.

The blast of fire was quick, short, and didn't have the greatest range, but it was enough that it reached Accra, hit her hard enough to surprise her, distracted her for just long enough for Sailor Venus's chain to wrap itself around her and pull her away from Shizuka.

Hamilton fired a beam at her and she went flying through the air. She was surprised that she had not been incinerated immediately but Sailor Mars must have once again come to her rescue. She landed in a roll and her good hand shot up, her henshin pen ready to go.

But a few explosions caught her by surprise and the building started to collapse, and Shizuka was tumbling off the edge. No time. She sprinted toward her, caught her arm just in time, pulled her and clutched her close, even as they slipped lower down as the roof collapsed under them, even as they dropped down several stories. She tried to catch her footing on something, anything, maybe the load bearing girders at the edges, but the girders were splitting in half, she risked falling over the edge entirely and she was sure she couldn't survive a drop this high.

They slid to a stop. The rumbling sound ceased. Rei estimated they were maybe halfway up the building, still, but she couldn't be sure, especially not with the heavy load she was fighting against, that threatened to crush her. She had bridged herself over Shizuka and bore the weight against her back.

A pipe fell from above and smacked her in the back of the head. She swallowed hard as she felt the blood slip and watched it drip below her onto Shizuka's shirt. At least she was used to sights like this. Shizuka looked horrified, by the blood, and by the amount that was pouring out.

"Head injuries. Look worse than they are," she managed to say, but everything was spinning and she knew she would pass out soon.

The building rumbled again.

The floor beneath them crumbled and they were falling again, getting buried by rumble, and when they stopped they were much lower than before but buried in even more concrete and plaster and pipes and girders, and Rei could only try to cover Shizuka with her own body as a desk fell on top of her and she heard a crack. As she dropped in and out of consciousness she prayed it wasn't her spine.

* * *

Hamilton, or Accra, or someone, had set off some explosions, and just like that Rei and Shizuka disappeared into a collapsing sinkhole. Sailor Venus's chain whipped forward but futilely, it was too late, they were already gone, buried by the building. It was falling apart beneath their feet. They leapt to the next building over and sent attacks flying at Hamilton and Accra, who laughed and mostly brushed them off save for a few of Saturn and Pluto's hits that landed too well.

Sailor Moon and Sailor Mercury had tuned out from the fight for a moment to watch the building collapse. Stunned, Mercury gripped Sailor Moon's hand tightly, trying to wordlessly reassure her, but Sailor Moon turned to her and asked the question she did not want to answer.

"A normal person stuck under a collapsing building. Would they survive?"

Mercury's expression told her enough. Sailor Moon let go of her hand and neared the edge of the building. It was now nearly flattened against the ground, utterly demolished.

It was too much. She had lost Uranus and Neptune and Jupiter to the ether and if she lost Rei, actually, forever, no way to come back, well –

She felt very very cold.

She started to shake violently.

Venus had noticed this with some concern and a lot of rage. She turned her attentions back to Accra and Hamilton.

"Accra, Hamilton!" she yelled, demanding their attention, "Stop! Cease killing people, cease trying to take over this planet! Stop of your own volition or I will make you stop!"

Hamilton and Accra exchanged amused looks. "Really? How will you stop us, Minako-chan?"

As Sailor Venus she had the sword, still, in its scabbard now, hanging from her belt. She drew it and looked at the hilt, with the three jewels embedded within it. She gripped the hilt tightly. The jewels began to glow.

She didn't bother to respond verbally. She leapt over to them, flipped in mid air, slashed twice, and landed behind them.

Hamilton and Accra looked astonished.

Their torsos each had a long, bleeding slash running from top to bottom.

And the slash hurt far more than a simple sword cut should.

Accra turned around to face Venus. "Minako! I look forward to our next meeting." She snapped her fingers and a moment later she was gone. Hamilton did likewise and Minako was left with a glowing sword powered by her dead friends and a burning pain in her chest.

Accra's pull.

Minako would determinedly not heed it, but it hurt.

_It hurts_.

The pull hurt. As they descended to ground level it hurt to hear Sailor Moon cry like that. It hurt to think that about how Rei was possibly dead. It hurt to have to pull herself together and talk to reporters so soon after, even as the desperate rescue operation for Rei and Shizuka was happening a few metres away from them. It hurt to have to convince a crying Sailor Moon to buck up and inspire the people even after all that she had just lost.

So what if everything she had to do only caused her pain? She was Sailor Venus. She would do it all anyway.

* * *

"Sailor Mars! Hino Rei! Sailor Mars! Hino Rei!"

Someone was shouting at her. Someone who couldn't settle on just one name. She felt her eyes get pried open. It was the reporter. He had his sleeves rolled up and his hands were dusty. Vaguely she realized he must have helped free her from the collapse.

She was sick of buildings collapsing on top of them.

"Hino-san!"

She opened her eyes widely in alarm as Shizuka jumped at her, but the girl was held back at the last moment.

"Rei-chan." Sailor Mercury. Her face appeared above her, blue eyes narrowed with concern. "Does anything hurt?"

Rei considered this for a moment, and settled on: "Everything hurts."

In the distance she heard Sailor Moon speechifying.

"Lord Hamilton and Lady Accra will try to get you to despair. They will try to get you to give up. They will try to get you to lose hope. But do not give up. Do not lose hope. Even if we shall all die, never stop fighting. Even in her last moments, even without her powers, Hino Rei refused to bow down to the would-be conquerors, refused to let their plans come to fruition as she saved Shizuka-san. Even though I lost" – her voice cracked – "my best friend…"

Rei blinked.

She was being eulogized!

By Sailor Moon!

She glared at Sailor Mercury. Sailor Mercury looked sheepish.

"Rei-chan, it was _really_ close this time. Your heart actually stopped. We barely got the defibrillator in time." She frowned. "Don't do that again."

Rei continued to glare at her until Mercury stood up. "Okay, I'll be back in a second."

Moments later she heard Sailor Moon screeching out a _Whaaaat!_ and footsteps rushing toward her. She heard Venus step in and take over the speech. Its message might require some minor adjustments, Rei thought drily.

* * *

Ami wished she hadn't been the one to check in on Rei at just that moment.

Rei had been in and out of consciousness for four days and much had changed in that time.

For one, they were camped out at a Follower's place.

"Because," Ami hastily added, cutting off Rei's nascent objections, "It turns out that some of them were very upset with how Hamilton killed the High Priest with so very little fanfare and they are even more upset with how he has, for lack of a better way to put it, jerked us around. They're our fans, first and foremost. Rather extreme fans, but…"

But they had provided a place for them to stay, and had risked their lives to get medical supplies and to pass messages along to various people. They had proven trustworthy so far, and the Sailor Senshi had little other choice, anyway, since Hamilton and Accra had destroyed all their usual hangouts.

Sailor Moon, Mercury, and Tuxedo Mask's identities had been exposed. It had only taken one day after Rei's identity was uncovered to find theirs. Their names were stamped everywhere in all of the materials that had gathered in her life.

As soon as they were uncovered, the invaders had set about destroying anywhere that the Senshi would feel comfortable.

Rei and Setsuna's offices, Minako's studio and the offices of her label and her producers, the libraries and engineering buildings of the Tokyo University of Science, the elementary school Usagi taught at, and much of the Tokyo U Hospital. All the calligraphy, archery, and finishing schools Rei had ever attended. All the cram schools Ami, Hotaru, and Mamoru had ever attended. Most of the gyms, training centres, and libraries near their homes. The Outers' mansion, Minako and Rei's condos and other residences, Usagi, Ami, and Mamoru's apartments. Their parents' homes. Yuuichirou's condo, Urawa's apartment.

The old arcade, the ice cream parlour, Juuban Municipal High and Junior High, Muugen Academy, T.A. Girls' School, much of Daito Bunka U, about half of Tokyo U.

"…and the Hikawa Jinja."

"What?" Rei clenched her hands into fists. Libraries, schools, and hospitals were bad enough, but places of worship, really?

Ami closed her eyes. "It gets worse."

They had two people on guard duty at all times, watching the house and its perimeter. Three people went out on patrol at a time. They went out not so much to stop Hamilton and Accra as to mitigate the damage. Even when there were no reported attacks, they had another reason to patrol the city. Some people, many people, strongly supported the Senshi's message of hope and courage. Others had given up entirely and were now seeking to make the path easier for their new overlords. In hopes of leniency, perhaps, or maybe just lashing out at what they perceived was their fate.

Rei stared at Ami, open-mouthed. "So you're saying…it's a civil war?"

Ami hastily raised her hands to placate her. "I wouldn't go that far. It's not war. Not yet."

This failed to make Rei feel better. She leaned back against the headboard and narrowed her eyes at Ami. "You're talking again?"

Ami sighed. "I couldn't stay mad at Minako for longer than two hours. Besides, if I stay silent all I can hear are my thoughts about their deaths. I can't live like that, not for now anyway, because I need fighting spirit." She clenched her fists. "We have a job to do."

* * *

AN: Chapter the next: I hope everyone loves geopolitics.

Thanks, **rainbowsailormoon**! **StormBrisingr**, the downward spiral continues! Also, Accra seems to be part of the 'if you can't beat them partner with them' school of thought. We'll see how this came about in 16 or 17. **Jovian Sun**, we'll see more of how the population reacts in the next chapter. **TruePrime**, thank you!


	17. Sixty Days

AN: This chapter has language, violence, bleakness, and geography.

Geography: Western Tokyo consists of towns and cities. People who live in these towns and cities tend to commute to eastern Tokyo. Eastern Tokyo consists of 23 special wards. Each ward has a number of districts in them.

Usagi, for example, grew up in the Azabu-Juuban district of the Minato ward.

This chapter is divided into sections helpfully labeled with headings that follow this format:

DAY – AREA – WHO HAS CONTROL OVER THE AREA – MAIN CHARACTERS IN THE SCENE

* * *

CHAPTER 14 & 15 SUMMARIES

FOURTEEN: Accra promises not to kill Venus or Saturn if Venus kills Jupiter and Uranus. Mars reveals the deaths she has seen in her visions. Tuxedo Mask promises they won't die. Jupiter, Neptune, Uranus and Venus choreograph their fight and accidentally hurt Tuxedo Mask in the process, leading to the reveal that he and Usagi are back together in some form. Rei is upset about this and reacts by agreeing to make her relationship with Yuuichirou serious. Haruka and Makoto go missing. Hamilton has brainwashed them and commands them to destroy a residential area. The rest of the Senshi fight against them. Sailor Moon tries and fails to heal Jupiter and Uranus. Jupiter and Uranus continue to tear down the area and a bridge falls on Tuxedo Mask. Almost everyone gets taken to the hospital and the aftermath leaves it exceedingly clear that their fight is about to get more problematic than they previously figured.

FIFTEEN: Mars and Venus think about how to stop Jupiter and Uranus. Ami speaks to Natsuki who suspects Hamilton used a modified virus to brainwash Jupiter and Uranus. Jupiter and Uranus attack a business area in plain daylight resulting in many civilian deaths. Sailor Moon tries to stop Jupiter and Uranus again and Hamilton realizes he must kill her. He orders Jupiter and Uranus to do so. Venus kills Uranus, Neptune, and Jupiter. Accra and Hamilton reveal that they have teamed up. The Senshi do not have time to come to grips with their loss when they learn that Hamilton and Accra have offered safety to anyone who finds their civilian identities. Hamilton and Accra take Rei's assistant hostage. Venus manages to deal damage to Hamilton and Accra with the sword. Rei is rescued from a building collapse, barely alive. She regains consciousness days later to a very different Tokyo.

* * *

**CHAPTER SIXTEEN**

_DAY ZERO – MINATO – NO ESTABLISHED CONTROL – ALL SAILOR SENSHI AND TUXEDO MASK_

Emergency services were quick to arrive on site after the building collapsed. They wanted to take both Rei and Shizuka to the hospital, but Sailor Venus was uneasy with this plan. If she were Hamilton and Accra, what would her next step be? The answer was clear. Move swiftly to utterly crush their morale. She pulled Sailor Mercury aside.

"How long until they figure out who you, Usagi, and Mamoru are?"

Mercury shook her head. "Less than twenty-four hours."

This was all the information Venus needed to make her decision. She told the paramedics they could treat Rei and Shizuka in the ambulance but that they were not to take them to any hospital. She let Mercury watch over the proceedings while she scribbled down a list that she handed off to Tuxedo Mask and Sailor Moon.

"Call all of these places. Tell them to evacuate everyone immediately. Also, go get Tuxedo Mask's motorcycle."

She dispatched Pluto and Saturn to the Outers' mansion to get Haruka's motorcycle and whatever else they thought would be useful. Venus, meanwhile, smashed a van window in and hotwired it. The police in the area watched and said nothing as she blatantly stole the vehicle. She directed the paramedics to lay Rei in the back of the van. While they weren't looking she palmed a number of medical supplies and hid them under the front seats. Shizuka and Mercury got in as well, and they were off.

Her first stop was her house in Meguro. She grabbed her bicycle and shoved it in the back of the van. Medical supplies, bunker food, varied weapons, and many maps and charts joined the bicycle. She hesitated for a moment before stealing another bike and cramming it in as well. Venus had the sinking feeling that any gas-powered vehicle would soon be next to useless.

Now what? She couldn't think of a place where they could gather. She had already written off any place they knew well, sure that Accra and Hamilton would destroy all their usual haunts. So focused on her thoughts was she that she nearly mowed down a man who came running out onto the street.

She leaned her head out the window. "Hey buddy, I'm trying to drive here."

"Sailor Venus! I'm a big fan of yours, a huge fan." Obviously, she thought, as she stared at his Sailor V choker straining around his Adam's apple. "I can give you a place to stay."

"Other than Sailor V's number one fan," she said, "Who are you?"

"Um, well this won't sound good, but I'm an ex-Follower…you know, of the High Priest…?"

* * *

_DAY ONE – TAITOU – NO ESTABLISHED CONTROL – SAILOR VENUS AND THE FOLLOWERS_

The house was a non-descript, Western-style house. It wasn't the biggest ever but it wasn't as cramped as most homes in metropolitan Tokyo. Sailor V's fan stayed in the house with a number of other ex-Followers. They had only two bedrooms and the ex-Followers promptly crammed themselves into the living room to clear space for Rei, still unconscious, and Setsuna, still recovering from nearly having her neck sliced off.

Ami quickly established Rei's room as the medical bay while Minako turned Setsuna's room into the strategy room. Their hosts salvaged a whiteboard and a box of markers from a nearby school that Minako commandeered for planning purposes. She scribbled down all the pertinent facts about their battle that she could think of. She wiped off the _Accra – immortal?_ note that she had written. If an ex-Follower caught a glimpse of it they would probably be a little discouraged.

As it was she met with the ex-Followers and asked them to tell her what they knew about the situation. Accra and Hamilton were quick to exploit opportunity, she already knew, but she was surprised by just how quickly they had gotten their propaganda out. She supposed this was how Hamilton in particular had been so successful at terrorizing planets into submission. She glared at the materials laid out on the table before her. Flyers had been posted up all over the city and she did not like their messages.

_JOIN the Revolution! Our governments have failed time and time again. Demand CHANGE! Support Lord Hamilton and Lady Accra._

She had to laugh at that one.

_AINO MINAKO, beloved pop star turned murderer. The TRUTH about Sailor V!_

That one, not so funny. She angrily shoved the papers aside and pulled out a few blank sheets.

"Alright guys, I need your help. Pro-Senshi messages. Let's get going."

War in the modern age, she knew very well, was about hearts and minds.

Completed slogans landed in front of her. She grabbed the first one and cursed when she read it.

_SAILOR MOON, elementary school teacher, and TUXEDO MASK, ER doctor, fighting to protect your children, body and mind._

The message was fine, Minako thought, but it meant that their identities had already gotten out. There was no doubt that this was the work of the pro-Hamilton and Accra faction - a faction that she promptly dubbed the Traitors.

"Who would you say is in control of Taitou, right now?" she asked, because they needed just ONE safe place, please, god.

"What do you mean, in control?"

"I mean who has power? Who do the people listen to here? The police?"

Her number one fan, whose name she eventually found out was Tetsuo, shook his head. "Nobody, really. It's chaos."

This was bad news that Minako was going to turn into good news. "Excellent. Let's make it ours."

* * *

_DAY TWO – TAITOU – NO ESTABLISHED CONTROL – ALL ACTIVE SAILOR SENSHI, TUXEDO MASK, AND THE FOLLOWERS_

With the chaos in the city, it had been relatively easy to make this ward the Sailor Senshi stronghold. They convinced a printer to help them and got volunteers to wallpaper the place with pro-Senshi flyers. Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask were at their PR best with dozens of appearances and words of encouragement in a single day. People ate up their spiels.

_Unforgivable! For love and justice!_

_A person who tries to take over the planet is the worst! _

Fortunately for them, not only did many ex-Followers reside in Taitou, but many artists did as well. Venus, being an artist herself, knew exactly where to go with this. But she was a multimillionaire pop star, she wasn't the right type for this crowd. Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask would play even worse. They were a little too earnest for the disaffected.

She had to pick someone cool. Someone who seemed distant, who had weird interests and hobbies and maybe had a bit of a hard time with the whole socializing thing. Someone like…

"Hotaru-chan, I need to ask you something." Minako had intended to ask her to give a speech, but she blurted out a different question. "Aren't you mad at me?"

Hotaru stared at her, utterly silent, for a good minute, before she shook her head. "No. Setsuna-mama warned me. She told me that in every scenario she knew of, from the worst to the best, I was destined to be very, very sad. So it didn't surprise me that they…disappeared. You did what you had to."

This only made Minako feel worse. Hotaru who quite possibly had the most traumatic childhood experience out of all of them, being told she was bound to a fate like that. She wondered if she knew that maybe Michiru's death wasn't absolutely necessary. It didn't matter. The Hotaru she knew wouldn't begrudge Michiru of it. The Hotaru she knew was used to moral gray. She had, after all, been adopted by the very women who had tried to kill her.

"Thank you," Minako said. "That's generous of you." She paused. "I meant to ask you something else, actually…"

Minako wrote up a speech for Hotaru but hers was too direct, too quick, too much like a commercial. She tore it up when she read the speech that Hotaru had written. It was long and a little tedious but focused on what artists prized the most.

"Independent thought. You thought Japan was already a place that lacked it? Hamilton and Accra will eliminate it entirely…"

Her measured, soft tone played over exactly as Venus had expected. The artists loved Sailor Saturn. They weren't quite the fighters that the ex-Followers were – the ex-Followers, who had been trained in martial arts and marksmanship, who still had a hidden armory with a stash of guns – but they could construct barriers and shelters out of the most improbable materials. The barriers that they built would be easy for Accra and Hamilton to destroy, of course, but it seemed that they did not consider Taitou a prime target, and Venus told everyone to keep it that way.

No one could know where the Sailor Senshi lived.

* * *

_DAY THREE – TAITOU – FOLLOWERS AND ARTISTS CONTROL – SAILOR VENUS AND SAILOR MERCURY_

"The number you have dialed is not in service."

Minako hung up, frustrated. She hadn't been able to reach anyone in Tokyo, let alone outside of it. Wifi connected very sporadically. The Japanese post office had shut down their Tokyo operations. What did people use before these things? Passenger pigeon? Pony Express? Were there even any stables in this city? Most of the messages they had received so far had been by motorcycle or bicycle couriers. Increasingly, bicycle couriers, as gas ran out, just as she had predicted. Thank the kami that at least they had their communicators.

She buried her head in her hands and thought. Next step, next step. If no one could know where the Sailor Senshi were staying then they had to put in appearances outside of Taitou. She had already risked it this morning, sending Saturn and Tuxedo Mask to Shinjuku and taking Sailor Moon with her to Edogawa, but the crowds of people there had jeered at them.

"What are you girls doing? Why aren't you helping us?"

They had to get their message out to more people. Hope, there was still hope, everyone had to know.

She slammed her hand on the table. Shortwave radio, obviously. At least two of the ex-Followers had radio experience and with Ami and Mamoru's help they managed to find enough parts to rig a set-up. She picked the ex-Follower with the most reassuring voice and set him up with a script to introduce her.

"Sailor Senshi news daily! What are they doing to protect you? We have the answer. Tune in to hear from the Sailor Senshi! Today, Sailor Venus!"

"Aino Minako here! Our broadcast times will be a little irregular but I promise we'll be here daily at least! We haven't made too many appearances but we are still in Tokyo. Honestly, right now we're recovering and regrouping our forces.

"But we can't do it alone. We're going to take down Hamilton and Accra but we need YOU to fight against the traitors who support them. Hamilton and Accra want to kill your families, destroy your minds, and exploit you like slaves. Stand your ground against the traitors who envision this future for you!"

She was already tired of being so enthusiastic. She, who was rivaled only by Tsukino Usagi for the title of Queen of Boundless Energy, felt said energy flagging.

She relayed this to Ami.

"Fighting wears quickly on people, Minako," Ami said. "I've read that after sixty days on the front line, 80% of an army brigade will be psychologically worn down."

Minako frowned. This was the first time they had been immersed so wholly in a fight against a magical enemy. It had taken over their entire lives. They might as well say goodbye to their former lives now. They could never return to their regular jobs now that their identities had been revealed. Their homes had been destroyed. They were hiding in a house belonging to a group they had been fighting just a little while ago. They had to eat, sleep, and breathe this war or they would never win. And they absolutely had to win.

Let the rest of them wear down. She would be there to hold them up. She would remain strong. She looked up at Ami.

"I'm sorry about Mako-chan," she offered awkwardly.

Ami shook her head. "There's no need for apologies."

"Will you help me?" She glanced at the depressingly blank whiteboard. "I've never been very good at note-taking."

Ami smiled. "You've asked the right person."

* * *

_DAY FOUR – TAITOU – FOLLOWERS AND ARTISTS CONTROL – ALL SAILOR SENSHI AND MAMORU_

When Rei finally regained consciousness, the whiteboard looked like this:

* * *

STATUS

UP: Moon (A), Mercury (A), Mars (I), Venus (R), Saturn (A), Pluto (R), Tuxedo Mask (A) (7)

DOWN: Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune (3)

AGAINST US (FOR ALIENS)

Ginza [Chuo] – Hamilton and Accra home base

Ikebukuro [Toshima] – Infected by virus. Possible allies: Yakuza?

Odaiba [Minato] – Traitors. Possible allies: shipping

STRONGHOLDS (FOR EARTH)

Roppongi [Minato] – Yakuza

Taitou – Art people and ex-Followers

Chiyoda – Government

TO CONSIDER

Shinjuku – Trains

Bunkyo, Nakano – Students, doctors

Minato – American and Chinese embassies

LIKELY NEXT TARGETS: New York, London, Beijing

* * *

SHINJUKU and MINATO were circled with bright red marker.

Rei stared at the board dourly. She gingerly flexed her arm. She felt a twinge but it was worked, at least. She rubbed off the (I) next to her name and wrote an (A) instead.

Ami shook her head and changed it to an (R).

"Don't fret, Rei-chan. Minako is supposed to be recovering, too, but that hasn't stopped her from acting like she's at full health."

Ami proceeded to explain the board to her.

Tokyo's towns and cities had already been more or less overrun by Hamilton, Accra, and their forces. Commuter towns were filled with the middle-aged who wanted to protect their children and elderly parents. They had had little choice but to give in. About half of them had been brainwashed. The other half, along with children and the elderly, lived in terror.

The Senshi, therefore, had to focus their attention on the special wards. The young adults who populated the special wards rarely had dependents of any sort. They had quickly taken up arms to defend themselves and were willing to risk their lives. They were being stubborn and Hamilton and Accra could not yet give their full attention to crushing them, still busy consolidating power over western Tokyo.

But control over Tokyo's special wards was spread out all over the place.

Hamilton and Accra seemed to have established their homebase in the Ginza district of the Chuo ward. Ikebukuro, a Toshima ward district, was run over by Accra's army. The traitors were based in Odaiba, in Minato.

The Senshi would have to move quickly to secure other wards against the aliens. Students and doctors seemed like the 'freedom fighter' types to Mamoru, so he had been put them on the board as groups to consider speaking with to secure Bunkyo, Nakano, and most importantly, Shinjuku. Shinjuku's train station had been devastated. Only a few trains had managed to keep running, taking with them Tokyo's luminaries. With all planes grounded, it was their only choice for a possible evacuation route.

Taitou belonged to the Followers and the artists, both groups firmly on the side of planet Earth and the Sailor Senshi. The other two wards had gotten secured on the side of planet Earth by parties acting on their own initiatives. The government had pulled the SDF into Chiyoda immediately, almost all of their resources put to securing the Diet, the Prime Minister's residence, the Imperial Hotel, and of course, the Imperial Palace. The Yakuza had gained a chokehold on Roppongi, in Minato, and were now battling it out against the traitors for control over the whole ward.

From radio broadcasts, they learned this: ambassadors in Chiyoda had been quickly evacuated thanks to the SDF. Minato being the battleground that it was, however, the U.S. and Chinese ambassadors were more or less stuck.

This had made Minako think about what Hamilton and Accra's next targets would be if they succeeded in crushing Tokyo. Beijing, London, and New York seemed like the obvious choices. With the U.S. and Chinese embassies under siege, it would be ideal to contact the President and the Premier and ask for help.

"The Chinese might be a little difficult to convince," Minako said, "But the U.S. is our ally and they have military bases nearby."

"The Chinese will be impossible to convince. Besides that, you're thinking too small, Minako-chan. Shouldn't our G8, ASEAN Plus Three, and APEC friends be a little bit concerned about _alien invaders_ targeting Japan? And the UN, in general?" Rei pressed.

"I thought you didn't pay attention to politics." Minako crossed her arms. "How are you rattling off about ASEAN Plus Three?"

Rei shrugged. "I learned by osmosis. But anyway, we should leave the high-level politicking to politicians and concentrate on getting this civil war right under our noses under control. People are dying!"

"I agree with you, Rei-chan. Governments have gotten more cautious with intervening lately. It would be difficult to convince anyone to help," Ami said, "And while I think you are right about leaving politics alone, I think your statement also applies to this civil disruption. Sending messages of hope and support is a good idea but directing on-the-ground tactics would be a distraction. We should be focusing on our strengths – dealing with supernatural aliens bent on world domination."

"Civil disruption? It's war, Ami-chan."

"It's a disruption," Ami insisted.

"Well fine, but we have to help the people in this civil disruption. They're looking to us for leadership."

Ami shook her head. "They have leadership already. The rest would be a PR nightmare. Do you want to be seen at the same level as some gangsters?"

"The Yakuza are trying to protect their homes just as much as we are," Rei said.

"Their strategies have been disgusting."

"So they're using maybe a little more lethal force and starvation siege tactics than necessary. They're fighting for their lives!" Rei shouted.

"Hey, stop it!" Usagi finally cried out, "All of these things need to be attended to. Ami-chan, I know you and Mamo-chan read _Armchair General _religiously. Maybe you don't think it's the best thing to interfere, but those poor people in Odaiba need help.

"Minako-chan, Rei-chan, go talk to whichever government people you need to. Minako-chan, I know you want in on tactics, but I don't want to even imagine Rei-chan to talk to politicians by herself.

"Hotaru-chan, Setsuna-san, please try to secure Bunkyo and Nakano for us."

"What about you?" Mamoru asked.

"I'm going to do what Sailor Moon does best. I'm going to protect everyone."

* * *

_DAY SIX – CHIYODA – GOVERNMENT CONTROL – SAILOR MOON, SAILOR VENUS, SAILOR MARS_

After some aggressive questioning, the SDF guards let them into the Diet building. Most of its members were holed up inside. With Japan's armed forces concentrated in this one special ward, it seemed like the safest place to be.

It seemed like it, but it wasn't, the Senshi knew. Hamilton and Accra would have no problem destroying tanks and artillery defending them, and there was no doubt that the Japanese government was next on their hit list as soon as they consolidated power over western Tokyo.

Step one, therefore, was to get the politicians out of the city. A government-in-exile was better than none at all, they reasoned.

No, that was step two. The real step one was to make sure a certain Senator was still alive and well. They walked down the hallways of the Diet building and were met with incredulous looks but nobody stopped them, nobody even spoke to them until they reached the office of Senator Hino. He guardedly opened the door just a crack and peered outside. He swung it open as soon as he spotted Sailor Mars who was, he now knew, also his own child. He could hardly believe it, but seeing her in front of him now, he thought to himself, _How could I not have seen it._

It was so obvious. Those serious, determined, very strangely-colored eyes; the stance that said _I am the best, nobody mess with me_; not to mention the hair, the figure, the aura. Now that he knew, everything about her screamed _I am Hino Rei!_ and as he looked at Sailor Moon standing to her right and Sailor Venus standing to her left it was so obvious that they were those blonde childhood friends of hers.

"Rei," he said, and he threw himself forward and wrapped her in a hug. She was caught entirely by surprise. This dour man was still not the type to give out hugs easily – or at all. She squirmed uncomfortably and pulled away.

"I can't – but how – Sailor Mars – " he babbled. He'd been stupid, so stupid. He fell to his knees and prostrated himself. "Can you ever forgive an old man, my child?"

"We don't have time for this," she said, knowing she sounded callous. But reconciliations could take place later, when everyone was safe again. "We need to get the whole entire Diet and the Imperial family out of Tokyo."

He looked up at her. "Do you know how that would look?"

"I am aware of the PR implications," she said, "But if you don't leave, you probably have a week, at most, to live."

He got to his feet and grimaced. "I thought as much. Lord Hamilton and Lady Accra, hmm? I don't think you're mistaken, but you girls have forgotten something about the history of Japan. What happens when political power isn't around or isn't effective?"

Venus winced. "Militarism. Then leave Sailor Moon here as your representative."

"I have a better idea," he said. "The Prime Minister will say that you're his mouthpiece, Sailor Venus, so you'll basically be the Commander-in-Chief; meanwhile, the Emperor can make Sailor Moon his mouthpiece so we'll be sure to have loyalty."

At this, Sailor Moon looked appalled. "How am I supposed to convince the Emperor to do that?"

"Consider this your first diplomatic test, Sailor Moon," Venus said. "And no offense, Senator, but I'm not sure I want to be Commander-in-Chief. I haven't been duly elected by the people."

"You are quite honorable. Then, I will speak with the Prime Minister and have him vest me with the title. I have always planned to stay in Tokyo no matter what happens."

Mars looked more than a little uneasy at this thought. Venus held up a hand to stop her from arguing. "I'm fine with this. I expect you to be in communication with me at all times," she said. "In the meantime, Sailor Moon, Sailor Mars, go speak with the Emperor."

A thrill shot through Mars. The Emperor! Descendant of the sun goddess Amaterasu. She was devoted to Princess Serenity first, of course, but she was still Shintoist, after all.

But… "We can't just walk into the Imperial Palace," she said.

"Don't underestimate me, Rei," Senator Hino interjected. "I am your father after all. I know the way you think. I have already spoken to all concerned parties. The Emperor and most Diet members have agreed to leave. The SDF will help the Diet and the Prime Minister escape Tokyo. But you three have to guard the Emperor and his family on their way out of here."

* * *

_DAY SEVEN – ITABASHI – NO ESTABLISHED CONTROL – SAILOR MOON, SAILOR MARS, SAILOR VENUS_

Minako had tried to convince Senator Hino to send Pluto and Saturn along with the Emperor and to bring herself and Sailor Mars along to protect the Diet.

But it was not to be. The Emperor had insisted that he trusted only Sailor Moon, because she was Sailor Moon; Sailor Mars, because she was a Senator's daughter and a devout Shinotist; and Sailor Venus, as an international idol who owed as much to Japan as Japan owed to her.

"Let the big guns take care of the Diet," he had said, and off Pluto and Saturn went with the Diet, eastward, and off Sailor Moon, Mars, and Venus went with the Emperor, towards the north.

There were around forty people in the Imperial Household. They had forgone their usual sharp clothes to dress like regular people in the middle of a civil disruption, but their regal bearing still made them stand out too much. Sailor Venus, expert identity hider, had outfitted them with sunglasses and baseball caps; they ended up looking like a troupe of especially sun-sensitive Tigers fans.

Subterfuge was not going to work. They would just have to bust out of Tokyo the old fashioned way.

"What, exactly, _is_ the plan?" Venus had pressed, but they were not allowed know. They had been told to bring them to a location a few hours outside of Tokyo. "And then what? Leave you there?"

"Venus," Mars hissed, elbowing her harshly. That was not how one addressed the Emperor.

Sailor Moon had been on the receiving end of an elbow to the ribs often enough that she stayed mostly silent about her doubts until faced with the giant truck she was supposed to drive. "I'm not really the best driver," she said. "I wouldn't want to jostle the Emperor. Maybe Venus should drive."

"Venus can't drive," Sailor Mars said, "She's got the sword."

"You take the sword, then," she said, "And I'll drive."

"There's no way I'm touching that sword!"

"Ugh. Then you drive!"

Which was how Sailor Mars ended up driving a truck whose container was filled with the Emperor and the Empress and their children and their children's children. There was no way to be subtle about their escape, either. Sailor Moon and Sailor Venus were balancing on top of the semitrailer, their brightly-colored skirts fluttering in the wind.

What if she messed up? She was going to drive like a crazy person as usual and Sailor Moon and Sailor Venus would wipe out and she'd run them over and the whole giant truck would catch fire and she'd be the cause of the death of the whole entire Imperial family. She had had a nightmare exactly like this, once. This had been a stupid plan. At least one heir should have gone with the Diet. She gripped the steering wheel tightly. The Diet…was more or less a giant moving target right now. _They were the distraction_, she realized.

She was distracted from her panicked visions of doom by an actual vision of doom in her rearview movie. A motorcycle gang – supporters of the aliens, no doubt – was catching up to them, their little bikes capable of far more speed than her huge truck. But their little bikes made them easy, light targets for Sailor Moon and Sailor Venus to take off the road. The highway behind her was soon littered with destroyed motorcycles and their riders left with painful cases of road rash.

That was easy. Things were fine. They would get the Imperial Household out of here and then they'd effectively be the government while the real one was in exile.

This idea also did not sit well with her but she had no more time to contemplate democracy when she felt the truck get jostled. She almost overcorrected to get it back on track. Something pushed against the truck again and they were sent into a tailspin. Into the spin, Rei, into the spin, she remembered her exasperated driving instructor yell at her. She turned the wheel and they ended up facing forward once again, but were no longer moving. She quickly glanced at the rearview mirror to make sure nobody had fallen off before she hit the gas. What had attacked them? The truck shook again.

The Emperor's middle child, who had gotten stuck with the passenger seat of the cab, finally made eye contact with her and anxiously asked: "Are we under attack?"

"Yes. Take the wheel."

The truck swerved dangerously for a moment as her passenger lunged for the wheel and she pulled herself out the window and onto the top of the cab. She spotted Sailor Moon and Venus at the back of the container, firing off shot after shot at something mobile in the near distance.

Something? More accurately, someone, she realized, as she joined her friends at the edge. She fired off a shot but it fell fall short of Lord Hamilton. He had better range than they did, though Sailor Venus managed to land a few hits.

"There's no way I can get close enough to use this damned sword," Venus said.

"Let's just stay as far away from him as possible," Sailor Moon suggested. He was landing a few hits on the truck, but not enough to cause any actual damage. Unfortunately he was getting closer, and as he got closer his attacks landed more and more heavily until they could barely keep their footing.

Then they were holding on to anything they could as the truck suddenly veered perpendicularly. They went flying off the overpass, landing on the highway beneath. They sped off and Hamilton with all his momentum could not quite re-direct himself quickly enough to catch up to them.

Only later, when they were outside of the city standing in a field in the middle of nowhere, did they learn that the Emperor's middle child was some kind of hobbyist stunt driver. "Don't underestimate a royal," he said. This was the second 'don't underestimate' they had gotten in as many days and Sailor Venus wondered what compelled people to want to prove themselves to the Sailor Senshi.

"By the way, I'm sorry about Tenoh-san," he added. "I really admired her."

The sound of choppers in the distance cut their conversation off. The dark green aircraft approached and soon five of them had landed on the surrounding field.

Men in uniform who fairly towered over the Sailor Senshi poured out of them. Americans. They directed the Imperial Family onboard. The captain overseeing the operation greeted the Sailor Senshi in very good Japanese.

"How will we be able to reach the Emperor?" Sailor Moon asked.

"You won't."

The look of dull panic on Sailor Moon's face made her thoughts on the situation clear.

"Them's the breaks. Just do what you think is best and the Emperor will back you up. From afar."

An image of the whiteboard flashed through her mind and she remembered Minako, Rei, and Ami arguing about potential allies. Americans.

"What about you? Can't you help us?" she quickly asked, as the choppers began to lift into the air.

He shrugged. "Not my decision." He paused and searched her expression. "I'll bring it up to my superiors but don't expect much. Sorry. Good luck."

* * *

_DAY EIGHT – ODAIBA, MINATO – PRO-ALIEN FACTION CONTROL – SAILOR MOON, TUXEDO MASK, SAILOR MERCURY_

"The dockworkers are fighting for the Rainbow Bridge and the Tokyo Port Tunnel as we speak," Mamoru said. He laid out a map of the island on the table in front of him. "Some sailors say they can help us get control of the docks but they want proof that we're not totally useless." He held his hands up at Usagi and Ami's indignant glares.

"Their words. So," he pointed to the west part of the Island, "Fuji TV. I thought the pro-alien faction took this island for an easy access point into and out of Tokyo, but it turns out they've been broadcasting from here." He looked to Usagi and Ami. "We're going to take it. Once we've got it under our control we signal the dockworkers, who'll come in and establish it as their base of operations."

He rolled up the map and shoved it in his pocket.

"If Accra and Hamilton find out that we've got a viable and effective means of distributing propaganda, they're going to flatten the building and everyone in it," Ami said.

Mamoru shook his head. "I told the dockworkers as much and they said they're willing to take the chance. It's a symbolic thing."

"I'll respect their decision, then. Usagi-chan, Mamoru-san, please be careful."

With its weird structure the station was bound to be difficult to capture. They did a quick tour around the exterior of the building. The doors were all heavily guarded and there could be hundreds of people inside, hundreds who more than anything wanted to see them dead.

"We'll have to go in through one of the windows up high," Sailor Moon noted.

Sailor Mercury considered the building's layout again. "Sailor Moon, are you willing to cause a bit of a distraction? Shake up the lower levels. Tuxedo Mask and I will get to one of the spaces in the lattice and break in through there in the meanwhile."

Sailor Moon left to run to the other side of the building. Tuxedo Mask watched her leave with a very concerned expression on his face.

Sailor Mercury smiled at him. "With her level of power, battle experience, and remarkable – if unlikely – ability to stay alive, she'll be fine," Mercury said. "We're not even facing magical enemies. Now the question is, Tuxedo Mask, do you want to take point, or be rearguard?"

Tuxedo Mask grinned. "Take point, of course. Let's go."

They jumped from window ledge to window ledge until they reached the roof of one of the hallways. When they felt the building begin to rumble – the start of Sailor Moon's assault, no doubt – Tuxedo Mask smashed a window in and swung inside. There were about a dozen people in this hallway and they were indeed surprised by Tuxedo Mask and Sailor Mercury's sudden appearance. He moved quickly, his cane whipping around, his elbows and knees flying everywhere. Sailor Mercury followed behind him, freezing the men he hadn't managed to knock out entirely. They ran upwards, toward the main studio, fighting the whole way. Though they could not knock out every single person they met on their way up, they succeeded in getting through.

It was only when they reached the studio that they realized they might be in real trouble. There were several dozen men in here, all armed with heavy-duty guns. Machine gun fire shot out. Tuxedo Mask ducked behind a monitor and cringed as he heard the plastic and steel shatter into pieces as it was riddled with bullets. Sailor Mercury leapt precariously from place to place, sending out blast after blast of supercooled ice that destroyed the machine guns as soon as they hit them. All major artillery was out; all that was left were rifles and pistols. A few bullets hit her torso. She ignored the sharp pain. After everything else she had sustained, she was fairly sure a few bullets wouldn't kill her. She was aware of the men behind the TV cameras swiveling every which way as they followed her actions and those of Tuxedo Mask, who had been fighting off a half-dozen men who had converged upon him.

Maybe this situation called for some of her other abilities. She called forth a fog that filled the studio and left everyone but her and Tuxedo Mask disorientated. She put her hands on the floor. A sheet of ice appeared beneath her hands and quickly spread out until the whole floor was covered. Most of the men had been running every which way and these slipped and fell; the rest were fighting to stay upright. Tuxedo Mask had long ago put retractable treads in his shoes after the first time he had partnered up with Sailor Mercury. He moved easily across the ice and knocked out at least two dozen people before the ice began to melt and the fog began to clear. More men had converged in the studio and now stood at the entrance. They were knocked aside by a blast from behind them. Sailor Moon had arrived and with her were the sailors.

"Sailor Mercury!" she cried out. She rushed to her friend's side.

"I'm alright," she lied. She wouldn't die, but now that the adrenaline had worn off she realized that being pierced by bullets really, really hurt. She put a hand over the entry wounds and winced as she saw blood drip.

"They hurt Sailor Mercury! Kill them!" With a loud roar the sailors rushed forward to attack.

It shouldn't have surprised Sailor Mercury that the sailors seemed to be big fans of hers. They had probably been even bigger fans of Sailor Neptune, but if they couldn't have the sea they'd settle for any water. The sailors were just as well-armed as the pro-alien fighters and the battle was over quickly after Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask rejoined the fight.

The TV cameras, Sailor Moon noted, were still rolling. She went around closing the eyes of those men that the sailors had killed. She wasn't quite sure what to think about that but she couldn't dwell on it right at this moment. She felt a tap at her shoulder.

"Sailor Moon, thanks for your help. We'll get the docks and ferries under control. Consider Odaiba island yours."

Sailor Moon frowned uneasily. "I think Tuxedo Mask already warned you but – you know Hamilton and Accra will be here any moment, right? I think you'd better get out."

The sailor shook his head. "Most of my men will be out of here soon. A few of us are staying, though. We've got a message to give and we're going to broadcast it before it's too late. If the aliens want to kill us for that, so be it."

* * *

ACROSS JAPAN ON FUJI TV STATIONS:

This is Captain Ryo Tousen speaking. I've got a message for you Japanese people! Anyone who supports those aliens is disgusting and cowardly. The situation seems a little hopeless now, but if you gave up every time you faced an obstacle, would any of you be where you are today? Our Sailor Senshi have already lost some of their members but as you saw, they're still fighting. We'll join them, and a few of us will lose our lives, but I'd rather die than bow before those demons. Speaking of demons, looks like they're here now. Remember my name! Captain Ryo Tou –

* * *

_DAY TEN – CHIYODA – GOVERNMENT CONTROL – SAILOR MOON, SAILOR VENUS_

At the moment Minako had two problems with the JSDF.

The first problem was, they were not at full strength. As soon as Hamilton and Accra had taken over the cities and towns, the JSDF had moved out to try to hold other major cities, leaving Tokyo for dead. They were stationed far away, in Yokohama, Osaka, Kyoto, Hokkaido.

They had left a nominal force in Tokyo to protect Chiyoda and most of their troops were still there, trying to hold the ward and protect the Diet members who had remained in Tokyo.

The second problem was that the JSDF was not cooperating with Minako. Senator Hino tried his best to direct them but it was all too obvious that he was far from a military expert. Actual control was in the hands of the top officers and most were of the opinion that Sailor Venus was nothing but a pop idol and a magical girl who deluded herself into believing she had leadership and battle abilities.

This would not do.

"We can't allow aerial strikes on Ginza," she said, breaking into the conversation. "Do you know how many people you'd kill? You don't have the precision technology needed."

"Nobody has the precision technology needed," a high-ranking commander spat back at her.

"The Americans do!"

"Well we're not the Americans. So we kill a few people, but at least we'll get rid of those alien invaders."

"No. Missiles won't kill them anyway," she said. "Trust me."

"What else can we do?" One man spoke up and appeared to want her input. She peered at his name tag. Rear Admiral Tohru.

"Secure wards. Protect the people."

"And I suppose you Sailor Senshi will kill the aliens for us?"

"Yes, we will," Sailor Moon said. She had been sitting beside Sailor Venus, quietly until now. "And you should trust Venus, she's a genius. We've been fighting magical monsters since we were fourteen and we wouldn't be alive without her."

The commander leaned forward and held up his right hand. "Here's what we're going to do then. If she's such a genius, let's see her secure and a hold a ward. If she can, we will listen to her requests. If she can't, we will move forward with strikes on Ginza."

* * *

_DAY TWELVE – BUNKYO – NO ESTABLISHED CONTROL – SAILOR VENUS, SAILOR PLUTO, SAILOR MERCURY, SAILOR MOON_

The army had given her three infantry battalions to work with. Sailors Pluto and Saturn had already laid the groundwork in Bunkyo, speaking with the students in the area and rousing them to fight against the ward's pro-alien forces. But the students were hardly fighters. They had been cornered into their various university buildings and were now under siege.

An ideal situation, as far as Minako was concerned. Her battalion would surround those besieging the students and would easily defeat them. The dorms and communal areas had plenty of food, still. Their first priorities were the lecture halls.

"Sailor Venus, are you sure about this?" Sailor Mercury asked. Venus had set her battalion up on high buildings surrounding the Traitors. Their guns were now trained on them and they stood by waiting for her command.

"They're murderous insurgents. How many poor students have they killed? It's the army's job to get rid of them."

"Yes, it is the army's job," Sailor Mercury said, "Is it yours as well?"

Venus considered this but did not answer.

"I'm sure some of these people are simply opportunists, or quite frankly just psychopaths," Mercury continued, "But it's probable that many of them are just afraid. Because we have yet to kill the aliens, because the government ran away, because the army abandoned them, because their families and friends have died."

Venus and Mercury both looked to Pluto. Pluto sighed and shook her head.

"We are in a difficult position," she said. "We absolutely must capture this ward to avoid strikes on Ginza. You can have the Accra and Hamilton supporters killed, and save the students, but cut short the lives of many people who, as Ami-chan said, are simply afraid.

"Or we can try to do capture the ward without any deaths, but the numbers in the pro-alien camp here are too great for us to be able to knock them all out and imprison them somewhere. Besides that, the ones who remain standing will continue killing.

"In other words: Whether or not you take action, you are still making a choice about others' lives and deaths."

"I disagree," Sailor Mercury said. "Let the army handle this. There must be another way to get those officers to co-operate."

"Our hours of negotiation keep coming to nothing," Venus said. "And people die, in the meantime. I need to do this for those students."

Just like Rei had said. It was war. And in war, people died. Killing combatants was perfectly lawful. She picked up the megaphone at her feet. "Attention, you men and women fighting for the aliens! We have you surrounded. Put down your weapons and move away from the area. You have one minute. If you do not do so, we will kill you."

They opened fire on her. She ducked, as did Pluto and Mercury. A minute passed. Venus peered over the edge of the building. None of the traitors had dropped their weapons.

She leapt to her feet and grabbed her walkie-talkie. She took a deep breath, steadied her hand, steadied her voice.

"Wait!" Sailor Moon had remained silent the whole time. She had paid avid attention the conversation and her eyes had grown wider with horror with each sentence. Now, finally, she objected. "We can't do this. Just…give me a chance to talk to them."

Wordlessly Venus handed the megaphone over to Sailor Moon.

"Attention! This is Sailor Moon speaking. Drop your weapons and leave the area. I beg you. This is not the way. The aliens have turned Tokyo's citizens against each other. Don't you think we could win, if we all stood against them? Stop killing each other and focus your energies on helping each other." No one moved. "Please!"

Still no sign of movement.

"Sailor Moon, maybe it would be better if you didn't see this," Venus commented, as she raised the walkie-talkie once again.

The tears had already started to stream down Sailor Moon's cheeks. She shook her head. "I have to see it."

Sailor Venus hesitated, but she couldn't force her to leave. Nothing for it. "Fire."

She watched as bullets felled the fighters on the street, bodies falling and blood spilling everywhere. She kept her eyes trained on the battlefield as she spoke to Pluto and Mercury.

"Pluto, Mercury, I brought you with me here because I know you two are the only ones who will be able to do this. Pluto, take your battalion and go the main library. Mercury, the auxiliary infirmary. Do exactly what I did here." She paused. "These are my orders."

Pluto smile did not reach her eyes. "Thank you, Venus, but 'just following orders' hardly absolves us. We will do this of our own will."

Venus smiled back gratefully, but she felt her heart tear apart when she noticed how violently Pluto and Mercury's hands were shaking.

* * *

_DAY FOURTEEN – SHINJUKU – NO ESTABLISHED CONTROL – SAILOR MARS, SAILOR VENUS, SAILOR SATURN_

Why she was at all surprised when she found the Akayashi sisters in Shinjuku was beyond her. They had been in the middle of basic reconnaissance when they spotted a small house filled to the brim with a ragtag group of people who could be either resistance fighters or pro-alien forces. They scoped it out and Mars reeled back with shock when she saw the ex-Black Moon Clan members at the head of the room. She, Venus, and Saturn opted to knock at the front door and were met with enthusiastic greetings.

"Koan…I thought I told you to get out of the city," Sailor Mars said.

"But I couldn't leave you, Sailor Mars! I knew you'd need me, so I stayed, and now here you are! This is the moment I've been waiting for. Just tell me what to do."

Venus snickered.

Sailor Mars strained to hold back an audible sigh. Not even her biggest fan had taken her advice to leave Tokyo. She might as well change her name to Cassandra.

"We do need your help, actually," Sailor Mars said.

They entered the house and met with the resistance fighters, who explained that they had most of Shinjuku under control. There was only one place left that the pro-alien faction was sacrificing everything to keep – the train station.

"And of course, what's the point of holding Shinjuku without holding its train station?" Berthier asked.

The train station was packed with Traitors. They had fortified the various buildings well and had made holes in the walls that they could fire through to force the resistance fighters to keep a fair distance away.

With one look Venus knew it would be up to her, Mars, and Saturn to take the station if they wanted to avoid any more casualties in the resistance fighters' camp.

Ami had once again fallen into near-silence after they had ordered the army to open fire in Bunkyo. They had successfully captured it and had stationed two battalions there to help the students hold it, but Minako privately wondered if it had been worth it. Nothing about it had felt right. Not the killings nor the army involvement nor Ami's very poor reaction post-battle nor how they had come out of it with not a single drop of blood on their hands.

This was what Venus hated the most. They had killed, but they had gotten other people to do so for them. She clenched her fists. Maybe the JSDF's top officers had been right to question her.

She turned to Mars and Saturn. "I'm going in there alone."

"No you're not," they both said at once. Venus shook her head.

"We don't have the resources to jail them," she said. She thought of how lately her stomach felt like it had been eating away at itself, the food scarcity reaching disaster levels as canned goods had been completely cleared out. She doubted that even all of Aino Minako's money – which, incidentally, had been placed on lockdown by the banks – would be able to get them enough food. "If we want to take the station we're going to have to kill the people in there. I don't want you two to be a part of that."

"Too late," Saturn said. "We knew what you were going to do in Bunkyo and none of us stopped you. We might as well have killed them ourselves."

Venus raised an eyebrow. "Have you been speaking to Setsuna?"

"Well, of course," Saturn said, leaving out the _no duh_ statement Venus felt she deserved.

"The difference," Sailor Mars said, "Is that all we're trying to do is gain a building. They're not harming anyone who isn't trying to harm them."

"Yes they are," Venus suddenly said, "They're not letting people out of Tokyo and tons of people are stuck here dying when they don't even want to fight at all. They know this." She turned to Mars. "Are you in?"

Mars visibly wilted but eventually nodded. She joined Sailor Venus as she approached the station and held up a megaphone once again.

"Exit the station unarmed with your hands up and we will let you live. Anyone who does not do so in the next ten minutes, we will kill."

Nobody exited.

"We're going in," Venus said. There was only open space all around the station. Venus and Mars went first and they were forced to take a few bullets as they dashed toward the building nearest to them. Mars burnt down their wooden fortifications in a moment and she and Venus smashed a hole in the cement wall with a combined attack. They tumbled through the wall and were immediately set upon by dozens of men with knives, batons, and makeshift bludgeoning weapons. Venus winced as a shovel smashed her face and she heard her nose crack. She felt sick when she watched some of the men fall before her, being shot down by their own comrades who aiming at the Sailor Senshi. She pushed corpses off of her and tried to get as many guns away as possible.

"Venus love me chain!" The chain shot forward and pierced through multiple people. She let it dissipate and with a few punches she killed another six men by smashing their heads in so hard they hemorrhaged. She felt sick. It was far too easy to kill these non super-powered humans. She didn't even have to use magical attacks, she thought, though they felt a little less brutal than physical attacks. She heard bones break and the groans of the dying as she fought nearly blindly, trying not to think about what she was doing. She dragged a man up by his collar and shook him hard.

"What are you doing?" she hissed. "You don't have to do this."

He raised his knife and slashed at her throat. She leaned back just in time to avoid it and was about to fling him away when she noticed his head was missing. Sailor Saturn had joined them and her glaive whipped in every which direction, swiftly cutting arteries, aiming for jugulars.

Unlike Venus, Mars had chosen to use mostly physical attacks, realizing that death by fire really was too brutal to even consider. Necks snapped and blood covered her entirely, her bodice nearly matching her skirt.

They finally stopped once all the fighters were dead.

Venus and Mars fell to their knees and threw up. Bodies were piled high around them and the coppery smell and taste of blood and their own injuries made them dizzy and lightheaded. Saturn had not taken any bullets and she remained standing, looking at her two elders with resignation.

"I suppose we are soldiers, after all," Saturn said, her voice utterly flat. "I wonder how many more times we will have to do this."

Venus strived to stop the blood flowing from her wounds but she was shaking too hard to get a good grip. She had the feeling the answer was many, many more times, not just now, but throughout their whole, very long lives.

Mars clearly came to the same conclusion. She looked utterly disgusted. She pulled herself to her feet. Her hands and legs trembled.

Venus thought Sailor Mercury could handle it. Venus knew Sailor Mars could not. She was wrong on the first and all too right on the second and she had probably just dramatically sped up their psychological demise. Sixty days…she'd peg them at forty max, now. Shit! She had screwed up.

She heard noises outside. She stood up and poked her head out of the hole they had made. The Sailor Senshi had taken care of the front lines that had been keeping the resistance fighters away. The Akayashi sisters and their crew had now joined them in the train station and were raiding the other buildings.

They could probably declare Shinjuku theirs.

Venus slid down the wall.

Saturn stared uneasily at the trail of blood she left against the stark white wallpaper.

"You two had better get checked out," she said.

"Yeah," Venus replied. She knew they should seek immediate medical attention but she had gotten so terribly injured over and over again lately that she felt dulled to all physical pain.

A thought occurred to her. Now that Shinjuku was theirs, she was sure that trains would be leaving within the day as people could once again escape from Tokyo. They finally had a way to communicate with the outside world. "Hey, Mars, hasn't Usagi been saying something about how she misses her baby?" Venus said.

"Yes," Mars replied, her voice faint. "It would be good if someone could go check on ChibiUsa. Who should go?"

"Me!" Saturn said. "Um, I mean, I think I should go. I mean I'd like to go. If it suits you."

Venus and Mars smiled. "Yes, you go ahead. Check up on everyone else while you're out there, too," Venus said.

Saturn beamed but she quickly tempered her smile as she caught side of Venus and Mars's wounds. "Okay. I'll tell the Akayashis to get you back to Taitou, before I go."

* * *

_DAY FIFTEEN – AN HOUR OUTSIDE OF KOBE – GOVERNMENT CONTROL – HOTARU_

The Tsukinos were staying in a cabin in the woods in the middle of nowhere. Hotaru had taken a bicycle with her and had pedaled several hours from Kobe to reach this place. It was worth it, though, she thought. She knocked at the door.

"Oh, Tomoe-san, welcome. Come in." Osaka Naru, Usagi's friend, welcomed her inside. Hotaru noticed the number of shoes at the entrance. Naru caught her glance. "The Tsukinos were kind enough to house me and Umino along with the Furuhatas and Makoto's boyfriend." Her voice wavered when she said Makoto's name.

"I see. Is everyone doing well?"

Naru sucked in a breath. "Um, well, let's just say nobody took what happened to Makoto well. And that other thing…it wasn't a surprise to me or to Shingo, but the Tsukinos…"

"Are beating themselves up about having been willfully blind for so long," Ikuko said, entering the room.

Kenji trailed in after her. "The scrapes, the bruises, the occasional broken bone, even concussions, a couple of times! I thought we just had an exceptionally clumsy child." Hotaru chose not to mention that this was in fact the case. "The constant oversleeping, even when she had supposedly gone to bed early. The times when I'd hear two voices in her bedroom when it was just her and Luna."

"Our poor baby. This must have been why she got such bad grades." Ikuko closed her eyes and sighed. Hotaru chose not to mention Ami, Rei, Michiru, and Mamoru's rather stellar academic achievement. "And poor Mako-chan…" She snapped her eyes open and her gaze bore into Hotaru. "Oh dear…and you…I'm so sorry." She pulled Hotaru into a tight hug.

"No, think nothing of it," she squeaked out, before awkwardly segueing to her true main concern, "Is ChibiUsa doing okay?"

Ikuko smiled. "Yes, she's asleep right now, but you can go up to see her."

Hotaru climbed the stairs to the bedroom and peered over the railings of the little crib. There the little girl slept looking like an angel with her soft wavy hair and white nightgown. She snapped a Polaroid picture to bring back to Usagi.

Task completed. She tried to see Matthew but he refused to open his door. The rest were eager for news and eager to pass along messages. "Tell that bastard I'm pissed he never told me about the Tuxedo Mask thing!" Motoki said in his usual cheerful tone.

Next stop, Mizuno-sensei. Ami's mother had teamed up with the Ainos to rent a cabin somewhere nearby. They housed Urawa, the Suzukis, and the cats. Artemis and Luna greeted her enthusiastically and demanded to know how the girls were doing. They looked unhappy to hear of their recent doings in Bunkyo and Shinjuku but something told Hotaru that they had expected things would turn out this way.

She spent an hour answering Mizuno, Urawa, and Natsuki's questions about how Ami was doing. "Yes, she is Sailor Mercury. Mizuno-sensei, please do not be upset that Urawa-san knew but did not tell you. This is not the kind of thing one easily tells a parent. No, I do not know what it feels like to have a child and be worried to death about her. Yes, she did get shot. Yes, she is alright. I mean physically. Emotionally too. No, sorry, that was a lie. Yes, it is a little difficult to be a guardian of love and justice. Especially both at once. Yes, I will tell her you miss her."

The Ainos spent most of their time berating themselves about how they had missed the fact that Minako was Sailor Venus all along. "This explains literally everything about Minako," her mother said.

"Tell that child not to get into any more trouble," was her father's message.

Too late for that, Hotaru thought.

Last stop, Rei's grandfather. He was her maternal grandfather, Hotaru was pretty sure, but what was his name? Guiltily she realized that she had no idea.

"She really thought I didn't know?" he said. "When the number of weird things that happened at the Hikawa Jinja tripled, I knew something was up."

"Well I didn't know until she told me," Yuuichirou said, sheepish.

"Hmph. You didn't notice because your hair was always in your eyes, you should have gotten a damned haircut years ago."

At least, Hotaru thought, she'd be able to tell them all that their families and friends were alive and well.

All told, things seemed to be going their way, sort of. Small victories, victories won at a terrible price, but victories nevertheless. Hotaru allowed herself a moment of happiness.

* * *

_DAY SIXTEEN – TAITOU – FOLLOWERS AND ARTISTS CONTROL – MINAKO, REI, USAGI_

Ikebukuro. They had yet to take a ward that was already under control of the anti-Earth factions. Ikebukuro seemed like the most obvious place to target. Accra had put some of the traitors in charge of her brainwashed army and they were now far more effective at mobilizing. It looked like they might soon have all of Toshima ward under their control.

This was it. She had hesitated to use this connection but she had little choice, now. She tried to inauspiciously corner Rei alone but Rei had been avoiding her since Shinjuku and there were always people around in this house that seemed smaller by the day as more ex-Followers camped out here. Well fine. The closest she could get to getting her alone was when she found her in a room with Usagi, who had yet to cease crying over the picture of ChibiUsa that Hotaru had brought back. Minako ignored her and addressed Rei.

"That company you worked for…who worked as their security services?"

"Security services?" Rei said, drawing the syllables out as she searched her memory. "Um…was it QRS? Something like that."

"You didn't have any other guards? Like for shareholder meetings, for example. Or on construction sites."

Rei looked upward, searching her memory. "Other guards? I think we also contracted StrongestLink for on-site operations, but those are the only two I know of."

"Really," Minako said flatly. "Only two legitimate security services. There were no other, more effective security services you had, maybe one that was a little less legitimate…"

Rei's eyes widened as she suddenly caught Minako's implication. Her gaze slid over to Usagi, who sat up straight and glared at Rei. Oops, Minako thought, Usagi had clearly caught on as well. YAKUZA had been on the whiteboard for two weeks at this point, of course Usagi came to the obvious conclusion.

"How do you know gangsters?" Usagi demanded.

"I don't!" Rei said. She hesitated. "I mean, I don't _anymore_. I mean, that's why I tried to move as quickly as possible to upper management. You deal with them a lot more at mid-management."

"What!" Usagi squeaked. "The Yakuza! Murder, extortion and prostitution! Missing pinkies, tattoos…"

"I get it, Usagi." Rei shook her head. "Minako-chan, I am not going to talk to Yakuza. They're effective for all the wrong reasons. If we asked them to work in Ikebukuro for us I'm sure they'd ask for something outrageous in exchange, plus they'd kill Accra's army wholesale. Just wipe them out."

"I know Accra's army is completely innocent," Minako said. "I know they're not like the people I killed in Bunkyo and Shinjuku," she added flatly. "And maybe Suzuki-sensei will find a vaccine by tomorrow. Maybe she won't. In the meantime, they're killing people. Ask the residents of Toshima. They're killing _a lot_ of people."

Rei closed her eyes and sighed. "I know."

"And they might be willing to help us help the U.S. get their ambassadors out."

"I know."

"So you'll go?"

Rei opened her eyes. "I'll go."

"I want to go with you," Usagi said quietly.

"No way," Minako said. "They're the Yakuza! They're not nice to women who aren't their own and they're probably especially bad toward blonde princesses."

"Please! I have to see what we're dealing with. I wish I could have been with you in Shinjuku." Usagi suspected that Minako had purposefully kept her occupied at the other side of the city that day. "I can't shut my eyes to this." And now everyone but she and Tuxedo Mask had been forced to do something horrible for the sake of saving Tokyo. "If we make a hard decision, I want to see the cost."

* * *

_DAY SEVENTEEN – ROPPONGI, MINATO – YAKUZA CONTROL – SAILOR MOON, SAILOR MARS, SAILOR SATURN_

Fine, Minako had said. But Hotaru's coming with us for extra backup, Rei added.

Setting up the meeting had been disturbingly easy. Shizuka, who had claimed the attic of the Followers' house as her own, had apparently been in contact with the gangsters while in Rei's employ.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Rei asked.

Shizuka shrugged. "They said it's the most important rule. Never connect upper management with shady dealings."

Ugh.

Sailor Moon, Sailor Mars, and Sailor Saturn were now in the basement of some underground bar/sex den that was still operating. The atmosphere made them very uncomfortable and it showed on Sailor Moon's face. Sailor Mars decide to adopt anger as her default expression, easy enough considering her surroundings. Sailor Saturn looked utterly neutral and therefore looked utterly threatening.

The bouncer waved them to a table. Minako had drilled them on police tactics before allowing them to leave the house so they took the booth seats to get a good view both of the stage – behind the curtain there was surely an entrance of some kind – and of the door at the top of the steps.

They waited ten minutes before the Yakuza boss arrived. He looked like a sharply dressed businessman, a fact that annoyed Sailor Mars even more.

He bowed before taking his seat. "Hino-san, I hardly recognized you."

"Oh, Yuuto-san. I thought you were killed by the Tojo family. You've risen surprisingly high in the ranks."

"Yes, I did gamble a little bit, but that's how I got to my current position." He smiled. "You rose fairly high yourself, yet here you are again, dirtying your hands."

Mars frowned. "Perhaps, but I am seeking Japanese citizens with interest in and means to defend their lands. I have little other choice."

"We're your only choice, hmm? You flatter us, Hino-san." He steepled his hands on the table. "So you want something from us. What can you offer us in return? I know you and Aino-sama have quite a few funds in your name…"

Aino-sama? How come she got the better honorific? Damn pop music fans. "Ikebukuro," Sailor Mars said. "I know you want it. We can help you get it. But you have to help us, in return."

"Oh? And what do you want?"

"We have control over Shinjuku. We need to get embassy staff out of Minato, particularly out of Moto-Azabu and Roppongi. You have control over Roppongi so we'll need your permission for the latter. For the former, this being Minato, we could use all the help we could get."

"The Chinese and the Americans, right?" Yuuto leaned back in his chair. "Yes, this would be beneficial to us as well. However, Ikebukuro is run over by those crazies belonging to that lady alien. We're going to go in guns blazing and we expect you to support us."

Mars hesitated.

And realized she couldn't do it.

She couldn't do it with Sailor Saturn sitting to her left, Sailor Saturn who Haruka and Michiru would have killed had Sailor Moon sitting to her right not stopped them. Sailor Saturn had been innocent, just like the people Accra had infected were innocent. She could not kill them, not even by proxy.

She especially couldn't do it with images of Shinjuku flashing through her mind.

"I am aware that this is what you expect to do. However, we have two nonnegotiable terms. First, you cannot kill anyone. Second, you cannot maim anyone."

He barked out a laugh. "And how are we supposed to regain Ikebukuro without killing any of those lunatics running around?"

"We're going to capture them," she said, "We'll help you to do so." He moved to object but she held up her hand and spoke before he could. "How much goodwill did you earn with your actions after the Tohoku earthquake? How much did that help you with your operations?" She leaned forward. "How much goodwill would you generate if you took back a ward, against alien invaders, all the while helping out the Sailor Senshi, without killing a single person?"

* * *

_DAY TWENTY – CHIYODA – SAILOR SENSHI/GOVERNMENT CONTROL – SAILOR MOON, SAILOR VENUS, TUXEDO MASK_

Their talks with the American Secretary of State were surreal.

The Japanese Prime Minister in exile had set up the phone call between them. They were led to a room in the Diet building, a room that had nothing but a table with a phone sitting on top of it.

"We need your help. We need your soldiers in Japan to do something to help us. Keep order, fight against enemies of the state," Usagi said.

"We already got most American citizens out of Japan. Are you asking us to intervene in a domestic matter?"

"Yes, exactly."

"The U.N. resolution says only air support, which we've been providing to the best of our ability."

This couldn't possibly be true, Minako thought, she had seen what the U.S. Air Force could do in other countries. But, she supposed, there was a different between supporting rebels and fighting against them.

"By which I mean, we can't cause too much damage or you can imagine what we'll hear in response."

"I know, sir, but we need more support," Mamoru said. "We can help you with your image. We can make sure your army doesn't go too far, and," he added, cutting the Secretary off before he could respond, "We can get your people in Roppongi out."

"With the help of that unlikely ally of yours?"

How had their agreement with the Yakuza already gotten out? "It's the only way," Minako replied, "Or you could have another ambassador die in a warzone, and you'll start hearing certain phrases more often. Hypocrisy. World police. Isolationism. Ineffectual government."

"Let me speak with the President. We'll get back to you."

Their talk with the Secretary of State had been fraught with stress, but that stress was little compared to the amount of tension in their talk with various Chinese officials.

"I know we're not friends," Minako said, "But Beijing is the next logical target." She wasn't even sure who she was speaking with. Senator Hino informed her that these officials were technically just an echelon below the Premier, but he also advised that with Chinese government, one could never be sure of their actual importance.

"I'm sorry, Sailor Venus. We can't lend you our support."

"Don't you want your ambassador back?"

"Some people in this country would be displeased if we lent any support to Japan at this point."

"Fine, I get it." She hung up after the perfunctory goodbyes. She sighed. "What a surprise. Ami was right. I really didn't think it'd be so difficult to get co-operation in a fight against alien invaders."

"We should get both ambassadors out anyway," Usagi said. "It's the right thing to do." She paused. "And," she added hesitantly. "It'd be a great gesture of good will to point out in future negotiations."

Minako and Mamoru exchanged surprised looks.

* * *

_DAY TWENTY-ONE – IKEBUKURO, TOSHIMA – ACCRA CONTROL – ALL SAILOR SENSHI AND TUXEDO MASK_

"This is why you are the businesswoman and I am just a pop star," Sailor Venus said.

She and Mars stood on top of a statue in the centre of a commercial square. They watched the Yakuza's members mill about them, gathering blunt weapons, putting on the body armor Venus had stolen from the long-abandoned local police building, getting ready to fight alongside the Sailor Senshi.

"I didn't think you could negotiate the Yakuza into technical pacifism," she continued.

To be fair, Sailor Mars had barely managed it. It had taken hours afterward for her and Yuuto to hash out the details. How many men would he lend to the cause, what kinds of weapons were they allowed to use, who would go where, who would get to claim control of Ikebukuro, and on the list went. He made many demands in exchange for the no-killing rule, and she was about ready to give in and let the Yakuza roam free when Sailor Moon and Sailor Saturn pulled her aside and fairly beamed at her with pride and gratefulness. She would never have made it without their support.

But… "I did say they could kill those commanding Accra's army, if necessary," Mars said. "Not a total success."

"And you are aware that the brainwashed people we imprison will slowly starve to death, right?" Venus asked, having long ago stopped bothering with any niceties.

"I know. But, you should know by now, Venus, that we are now left with bad choices and worse choices," she acidly replied, "And at least this one buys us time."

They remained silent as the Yakuza began to crowd around the statue.

"Even though it was horrible," Mars said quietly, "I think in Bunkyo and Shinjuku…we picked the lesser of two evils."

"Hmm."

"And you were definitely right to kill _them_," she continued, "Any of us would rather die than hurt her, any of us would rather die than do what they were forced to, and we tacitly greed to this from the start."

Venus side-eyed her. "'Tacitly'? I would feel much better about it if they had at least signed some kind of contract."

Sailor Mars rolled her eyes. "Being a Sailor Senshi is a contract."

Venus flashed her a smile before she turned her attention back to the crowd below. The Yakuza were ready to go. They looked up at her expectantly.

"Everyone, thank you for coming. I deeply appreciate that you are ready to risk your lives to fight for Tokyo and to liberate Ikebukuro. It has been made known to me that you are all here on your own will, and have all agreed not to kill any of those infected with Accra's virus. Anybody who is not willing to do so may leave now. We won't hold it against you." She paused dramatically. Silence surrounded her as not one person moved from their spot.

"However, we don't actually want you to die, either. So we will be taking the especially large risks. Everyone listen to your assigned captain at all times, retreat from any situation you feel uncomfortable in, and DO NOT get hit by a needle."

She clapped her hands together. "Move out, people!"

* * *

I, SAILOR VENUS/AINO MINAKO, of sound mind and body, do swear on this day that I would rather die than kill Sailor Moon or an innocent person for no good reason. I hereby give permission to any Sailor Senshi to kill me if I do so.

I, SAILOR MARS/HINO REI, of sound mind and body, do swear on this day that I would rather die than kill Sailor Moon for any reason or an innocent person for no good reason. I hereby give permission to any Sailor Senshi to kill me if I do so.

* * *

_DAY TWENTY-SEVEN – MEGURO – RESIDENT CONTROL – SAILOR MOON, TUXEDO MASK_

They had gained Ikebukuro and through it, most of Toshima. They had successfully gotten the American and Chinese embassy staff out of Tokyo with the help of the Yakuza and with their trains in Shinjuku. Now they cast about for other allies and Minako decided that they ought to try Meguro.

"Why didn't Minako come here? She lives here. Or used to, anyway." Usagi stared at all the huge houses in awe. The people who lived here weren't at prestigious hospital surgeon income levels. They weren't at CEO of a large enterprise levels. These people were in a different stratosphere altogether. These people were the heads of multicontinental conglomerates, the international pop stars, and people with old money from building this country up after World War II.

And they were all holed up in their houses.

"Minako's risking her life every day and she could have just as easily locked herself up with dozens of armed guards like these people have," Mamoru said. "You and me…we're not so poor that they'd pity us but we're not so rich that we'd show them up."

Their visits to the first dozen houses were promptly cut short when the guards rebuffed them at the gates. Mamoru's flagging hope finally pushed Usagi into transforming into Sailor Moon and simply smashing open one of the gates with a flick of her wand. She clambered through the sad remains of the iron bars and ignored the guards' shouts.

"Well?" she asked, casting an impatient glance at Mamoru still standing outside the gates.

"Um, yes, I'm coming." He followed after her and felt a little nervous about all the guns that were pointed at them but either the guards didn't want to shoot or, after that display of magical steel-crushing power, they didn't dare to.

When they reached the house he smashed a window in with his cane and they leapt inside only to find the owner with his hand on the doorknob.

"I was just about to let you in," he said. He frowned at the shattered glass on his off-white carpet, the shards brilliantly reflecting the lights from the chandelier far above their heads.

Tuxedo Mask vaguely recognized the man and a dim memory appeared in his mind of someone hanging off Minako's arm at that disastrous Kobayashi Corp/Tokyo U Hospital ball.

"You're Minako's boyfriend!" He winced as Sailor Moon slapped his arm.

"WAS Minako's boyfriend," she said. "Saito Kenji. Remember? He sang that song that played all of last summer. I Love You Yes I Do?"

"I remember! I love that song."

Saito Kenji sighed. "If you're quite finished, I have a message I'd like to pass on to Minako. Tell her I never would have called her a backstabbing, cheating, lying whore if I had known the reason she kept disappearing on me."

"You called her a what?" Sailor Moon asked, her tone too neutral.

Sailor Moon didn't hurt people, or wasn't supposed to, anyway, Saito knew, but he had heard some stories lately about the Sailor Senshi, plus that Tuxedo Mask beside her looked about ready to murder Saito on the spot. Saito took a step back.

"Sorry! I'm apologizing now, aren't I? I was thinking maybe we could get back togeth…" He trailed off when Tuxedo Mask took a step forward. "Um, never mind."

"Actually, I have way you can make it up to her," Sailor Moon said. "You and your friends and the people you've all hired can fight with us to save Tokyo."

"No way." His voice was flat as he explained how the rich got rich by saving their pennies and they weren't happy about having to spend money on hiring whole armies when the Sailor Senshi were the ones who were supposed to protect them from alien invaders. Besides, risking their lives and the lives of their employees made little sense when they were safe enough for the moment.

"It's not like we're going to fight against you," he said, "But we can't help you."

Tuxedo Mask looked less than impressed. "What are you going to do if – when – things get really bad?"

Saito shrugged. "We're not just going to hand Meguro over to the aliens, either. This is one ward you don't have to worry about. At least there's that."

* * *

_DAY THIRTY – IKEBUKURO, TOSHIMA – YAKUZA CONTROL – SAILOR MERCURY, TUXEDO MASK, NATSUKI SUZUKI_

They had shepherded the victims of Accra's virus into the houses and buildings in the district with the least amount of exits they could find: warehouses with windows too high to reach, poorly ventilated clubs, an especially depressing, nearly-windowless high school.

Conditions were not ideal.

Ami idly wondered if they'd be prosecuted for war crimes once this was all over.

Ami and Mamoru had been monitoring the patients and they showed no signs of improving. Several Yakuza, who had been assigned to taking care of the infected, had gotten injured while trying to provide them food or water.

"That's why we're just throwing the food and water in now through the windows," one of them explained. Ami was appalled, but she could not tell them to go risk life and limb to feed people they weren't even sure they'd be able to cure.

Not that Natsuki wasn't going to try.

"I think I'm about to violate my oath," she said blandly. She had taken the train back to Tokyo with Hotaru to work in labs that students in Bunkyo had secured. She had been steps away from developing a vaccine and with Ami's help they managed to land on something that seemed viable.

_Seemed_ was the key word. With the empathy and efficiency of seasoned lab workers they had tested their vaccine on lab rats as they went through the stages of development. The first group of rats had all died. Most of the next group had become horribly ill. The final group seemed to have suffered no side effects.

"But there's no way to ethically test this on humans," Mamoru said, looking at the syringes laid out before him. He grabbed a batch and stowed them into a pouch.

"I have an idea. Follow my lead."

The Yakuza drove them to a nearby club where some of the victims were contained. The entrance to the club led directly to a balcony that oversaw the area below where the patients were housed. The stairs to the balcony had been destroyed, making it a safe place from which the Yakuza could throw food and bottles of water down. Mostly water, nowadays.

Below them the patients milled about. Some of there were just doing normal things. Eating, sleeping, talking.

Many of them were trying to reach the balcony, straining to stab the newcomers with the needles they still held in their hands. It had been impossible to disarm all of them as they had shoved them into these buildings. Ami winced at the untreated injuries she saw on these victims, the scratch marks and puncture wounds, ripe for infection.

Natsuki took one good look at the crowd below and leapt off the balcony.

"Natsuki!" Ami yelled out after her. Mamoru quickly transformed and jumped down to join her, using cape and cane to deflect needles and hands trying to get a hold of him. He scooped Natsuki up and was back on the balcony ten seconds after she had leapt down.

It was too late. She already had puncture marks all over her arm and if even one had hit a vein she was sure to be infected.

"Try it out," were her last words before she wrestled her way out of Tuxedo Mask's arms. She flung herself at Ami who reacted before she could think. She ducked, deftly slid a needle out of its binder and stuck it in Natsuki's inner elbow.

Natsuki instantly collapsed in her arms. Ami dropped to the floor and laid her head on her lap. She had just injected her friend with an experimental vaccine and who knew if she'd survive? She had ordered death, she had experimented on a human – she thought she might as well renounce her medical license.

Natsuki's stomach rose and fell very slightly as her breathing became worrisomely shallow. Ami felt for her pulse and tried to steady herself by counting out the steady, if slow, beat.

Natsuki's eyes suddenly snapped open and they were as clear as they had ever been.

"We should probably wait a while to make sure I don't die," Natsuki said, "But I think it works. A sample of n=1 isn't great but I think most of them would rather take the chance than continue living like…that."

Ami sighed. "Natsuki-san, that was a very dangerous thing to do." She suddenly stiffened. "Wait. If this vaccine works, then do you think…?"

"…That I can make a vaccine for whatever superpowered serum Hamilton uses on you guys?" She frowned. "I don't know, but I sure as hell am going to try."

* * *

_DAY THIRTY-FOUR – TAITOU – FOLLOWERS AND ARTISTS CONTROL – USAGI, REI_

Rei was tired.

Rei was exhausted.

She wanted to curl into a blanket and sleep forever.

She thought she had been busy before but they had so much to do every day now. Public appearances. Patrolling. Strategizing. Fighting. Negotiating. Training. Training their allies. Sleeping?

Not that she should complain. As leader and doctor respectively, Minako and Mamoru had at least one hour less a day to sleep. Ami piled researching the virus on top of that and Rei worried more than a little about how sleep deprived she must be.

But though Rei had the time to sleep, her dreams, her nightmare visions, kept waking her up. She thought about how kept seeing herself, and Tuxedo Mask, and Mercury, Saturn, and Pluto's corpses fall in front of her. She thought about how Sailors Neptune, Uranus, and Jupiter had been the ones to die, or rather, disappear. Something wasn't right. Had her vision misled her? They had never failed her before. Had something changed? But her vision would have changed, as well.

She was tired. She tried to think but thinking felt like trying to ski uphill.

She curled up into a cocoon leaving just her face free to the open air so she could breathe properly. Warmth wrapped around her and she drifted off to sleep.

When she woke up she realized there was something heavy on her. As heavy as a person with a slight build. Approximately the size and shape of Usagi or Ami. Given that Ami was not the sort to annoy someone in this manner, Rei could only come to one conclusion.

"Us – a – gi – chan," she said, drawing out each syllable, "Get off."

"No." Suddenly a hand smacked her face. Rei winced as Usagi's fingers drifted upward to smooth out the lines between her eyebrows. "And stop frowning. You're going to look like you're 45 by the time you're 30."

"What?!" Rei shrieked and pulled herself up straight. Usagi tumbled unceremoniously off the bed and onto the floor.

"Ouch…and yeah! Keep frowning like that and you'll look like…like…Queen Beryl."

"You did not just say that!" She leapt off the bed, shedding the blanket behind her, and squinted into the mirror on top of the dresser. "Actually, Queen Beryl looked fairly young, other than the gray skin thing." She pulled at the skin on her face. "From what we've seen of Neo-Queen Serenity, on the other hand…"

Usagi had pulled herself back onto the bed and had stolen the blanket away, wrapping herself in it. "Only you would be able to insult my future self."

"I'm just saying." Rei had returned to the bed and was busy trying to claw the blanket free. "That woman does not know how to smile."

"Hmm. I wonder why?"

Yes, why?, Rei wondered. Neo-Queen Serenity seemed incapable of any type of cheerful expression other than Enigmatic Smile. What had driven the grins and leers and laughter out of her? Rei didn't really want to think about it. So she didn't. She yanked at the blanket extra hard, got it in her grips, and ran out of the room, "Rei-chan, you meanie!" trailing after her.

* * *

_DAY THIRTY-SEVEN – SHINJUKU – SAILOR SENSHI CONTROL – ALL SAILOR SENSHI AND TUXEDO MASK_

"Fire!"

The hail of bullets aimed at Hamilton and Accra kept them far enough away for the Sailor Senshi to finish crowding the last few people onto trains.

"Go go go!" Venus shouted, and the trains' wheels rolled on the railway. They gained speed as Accra and Hamilton sent blasts of energy toward the infantry that surrounded the train station. The infantrymen were forced to stop their cover fire and instead ducked behind commuter shelters and ticket stands. They would step out to try to shoot back only to be shut down by more attacks from the two aliens.

The trains had only just left the station when Hamilton and Accra got close enough to do major damage. The infantry battalion could only do so much. The Sailor Senshi, having seen the trains off, stepped forward and prepared themselves to fight.

"We have to do it," Usagi had said. "We have to do something for the people who're caught in the crossfire."

Usagi's ideal vision had been to get everyone from every ward who wanted to leave out of Tokyo. There were more than a few challenges with this plan. Minako scaled it down to just the wards neighboring Shinjuku and with the help of their allies it had been easy enough to gather the citizens in Bunkyou, Chiyoda, Toshima, and Nakano and get them to the train station.

They had tried to keep their actions quiet. With thousands of people involved, however, the Sailor Senshi knew that Hamilton and Accra were bound to find out.

Sure enough, here they were now, and they looked not at all like their usual, superior, teasing selves.

"We try to get Tokyo under control and here you girls are, evacuating half our subjects." Hamilton raised his cane and pointed it at the Sailor Senshi. "We can't allow that."

A laser shot out of his weapon. Tuxedo Mask stepped in its path. It threw him backward several metres but at least it hadn't hit its intended target, the last train to leave the station.

"Tuxedo Mask!" Sailor Moon shouted. They had no real time to worry about him as Accra followed after the trains.

But they had not left the trains defenseless. While Sailors Moon, Pluto, Venus and Tuxedo Mask held Hamilton off, the rest of the Sailor Senshi had taken a stand on top of the last car of the final train to leave the station. Lines of ribbons shot out toward Accra and enveloped her. She screamed as she tore them off of her but fire founds its way up the path the ribbons had laid and scalded her skin.

"Now, Sailor Mercury!"

Blocks of ice materialized around Accra's feet, their weight pulling her toward the ground. She stumbled as she tried to run but she had slowed down too much. The bullet train sped away and Mercury, Mars, and Saturn leapt off the back, stumbling for a few steps before they found their footing again.

Those few moments had allowed Accra to get closer to them. She was clearly enraged and she quickly grabbed Mercury by the throat, lifted her off her feet, and fired an energy blast at close range. Mercury screamed in pain but fought through it to grab Accra's hands with her own and rapidly freeze them. Accra held on for just a moment before she let go and looked at her hands in horror. Purple blisters had formed over her fingers. They rapidly turned black and pain shot up her nerves.

Frostbite.

"Sailor Mercury! I'll kill you!"

She took deep heaving breaths trying to keep the pain in control as she grabbed the train tracks and ripped them off the ground. Sailor Mars lay her hands on the tracks and heated them. Accra screamed and let the tracks drop as her hands blistered further.

"Sailor Mars, you will regret that," she said, but with her hands rendered practically useless there was little she could do for the moment. She backed away and flew back toward Hamilton.

They ran after her but she was much quicker and she arrived to find the other four Sailor Senshi looking terribly beat up, especially Sailor Venus. Her bodice was shredded, she was bleeding from her nose and her mouth and from numerous wounds across her torso and legs, and it looked like major strips of skin had been torn off her arms.

But she held a firm grip on the sword she wielded and the damage she had done was obvious as Hamilton was bent over in half, coughing up blood. He managed to straighten up for a moment and revealed the huge stab wound Venus had inflicted by running her sword through him.

"Fuck you," he spat out. Screw Sailor Moon, he thought. He was going to utterly destroy Sailor Venus and her damned sword, now that he knew how much damage it could do to him. He glanced at Accra, who had landed beside him, and noticed her gangrenous hands.

"Damn it." They were being forced into a retreat by the Sailor Senshi. How humiliating, he thought, as he and Accra took flight.

Sailor Venus let the sword fall from her hands and dropped to her knees. She squeezed her eyes shut and fought not to let tears fall from the pain and the hopelessness she felt. She heard her friends call her name but their voices sounded to her as if they were emanating from a seashell, fuzzy and indistinct.

On the plus side, Sailors Mercury, Mars, and Saturn had managed to fend Accra off just by wrecking her hands a little bit. Accra was dangerous but she was just as pain averse as ever. Hamilton, she knew, would have continued to fight even if his hands were heavily damaged, as he had continued to fight even after she had stabbed him, and it had taken so much to even get into close enough range to do so. She felt her arms sting from how he had scratched away the upper layer of her skin right as she had stabbed him.

She blinked a few times and opened her eyes again to look at her friends crowding around her. They looked horrified to see her so injured once again.

She grinned, winked and said: "We did it!"

* * *

_DAY FORTY – NAKANO – STUDENT CONTROL – SAILOR MOON, SAILOR PLUTO, SAILOR SATURN_

The students in Nakano had risen up quickly after the success in Bunkyo. Now they had firm control over the area and had openly declared themselves to be allies of the Sailor Senshi.

It was about time they meet their allies, Minako had said.

Now Sailor Moon, Saturn, and Pluto were in a standing room only auditorium. Sailor Moon sat at the edge of the stage and kicked her legs back and forth, the rubber of her heel striking against the stage in a rhythmic chant.

Pluto and Saturn hesitated, for a moment, but soon joined her, and what had once been set up to be some inspirational speech-giving became an informal chat.

The students were first and foremost concerned about their plans for defeating Hamilton and Accra. Sailor Moon had no real answer for this and she let the far more diplomatic Pluto handle it.

"Do not fear for your futures," she said. "No matter what happens to us, we will keep all of you safe and we will defeat Accra and Hamilton."

I could've done better than that, Sailor Moon thought, as the students broke out into a roar and started shouting out dozens of questions. The three women on stage exchanged amused glances and waited in silence until the student council president had restored order.

"One question at a time, please. Next question, yes, you."

"Excuse me. Um, what do you mean by 'no matter what happens to us'?"

"We're magical girls." Sailor Moon paused. "Magical…women. We're not invincible."

"Sailor Moon, are you saying you might die?"

Her lips started to tremble and she valiantly fought to keep from crying. She herself had never died and she knew exactly why.

"Sailor Moon does not always speak accurately," Sailor Saturn said. "Do not worry. In a way, she _is_ invincible. We would never let her die."

A hubbub of approval filled the room and as the noise died down once again the next question sliced into her just as the last one had.

"Sailor Moon, your comrades are rather remarkable. How do you inspire such loyalty and devotion from such outstanding individuals?"

This had always stumped her. Her friends were amazing and the fact that they chose to devote themselves to a clumsy crybaby made them all the more amazing.

"I don't know," she said.

"That's exactly why," Sailor Pluto added.

Another murmur of approval from the crowd and Sailor Moon was still left as clueless as ever.

"Sailor Senshi, what are you going to do about the food situation?"

Or the lack of food situation. The Red Cross had spent just one week in Tokyo, but it proved to be too dangerous for even their most experienced operatives. Even the aircraft that were meant to drop food onto the city were usually destroyed by Hamilton, Accra, and their people.

"I swear to all of you," she said, knowing it was a non-answer as soon as it left her mouth, "We are going to kill Hamilton and Accra."

* * *

_DAY FORTY-TWO – TAITOU – FOLLOWERS AND ARISTS CONTROL – REI AND USAGI_

"You need to stop giving your food to our POWs," Rei said. "I think you've found the one way of killing yourself that I can't do anything about."

Finally, a group of pro-alien fighters had taken their 'surrender or we will kill you' warning seriously. Maybe their attempts in Bunkyo and Shinjuku had failed because no one would believe that the Sailor Senshi would kill them. This group walked out unarmed with their hands up and had been taken in as prisoners, locked up in makeshift cells the artists had built.

But with most aid organizations having given up and with the train stations running sporadically and always requiring the full contingent of Sailor Senshi to stand guard, the lack of food had recently reached truly critical levels.

"That's not funny," Usagi said.

"Well this isn't funny either." Rei held up a full-length mirror that Usagi was forced to look way from. "I thought so. No, please don't cry." She slapped forehead. This was not the intervention she had envisioned. "Listen. We're the only ones who can kill Accra and Hamilton. We all have to remain alive. And right now, I can count your vertebrae."

"You don't understand. The prisoners already didn't have any weight they could afford to lose when we captured them and now they look even worse."

"They would have done just as badly out there," Rei said, "Maybe worse."

"You're not allowed to scold me." Usagi crossed her arms and pursed her lips. "You still won't tell me about Shinjuku or about those nightmares you scream about every night."

Shit, she didn't realize she had been screaming. "I do not even want to think about Shinjuku, and those nightmares are nothing." She placed her hands on her hips and glared down at Usagi, who was sitting cross-legged on the floor. "And by your logic, since Ami, Minako, Hotaru and Setsuna aren't talking about their horrible traumas either, they're not allowed to scold you. Guess I'll just have to show Mamoru this picture of you."

"When did you take that?" Usagi asked in horror, as Rei waved a Polaroid of Usagi wearing only underwear and showing skeletal features all too clearly. "Don't show him that! Please!"

"Then eat your damn rations!"

Usagi narrowed her eyes. "You're eating your rations and you lost weight too!"

"That's because I'm not sleeping!" she yelled. "Stop making me lose my temper!"

"I'm not _making_ you – "

"Never mind. Sorry." She dropped to the floor and drew her knees up to her chest. "What can I do to make you stop giving away your rations?"

"Nothing," Usagi said. "Only when Accra and Hamilton are dead will everyone have enough food again."

* * *

_DAY FORTY-FOUR – GINZA, CHUO – HAMILTON AND ACCRA CONTROL – ALL SAILOR SENSHI AND TUXEDO MASK_

Of course Hamilton and Accra picked the ostentatious flagship Wako store as their homebase.

They staked the building out, watching until they were sure Hamilton and Accra had left and would be gone for at least a few hours. If the place hadn't been filled with Accra and Hamilton's cronies they would have considered setting bombs.

They would have to find another way to flush the people out.

"Why do we have to destroy this building, again?" Sailor Moon asked, frowning. She liked how it looked. She still felt sad about how the FujiTV building had gotten flattened.

"It's symbolic," Venus answered.

With high-powered attacks Sailor Moon and Sailor Pluto created sonic booms loud enough that the store's hundreds of glass buildings shattered. Enough of the people inside the building came running out that Venus felt confident enough to proceed with the next step. As Mars began to set the building on fire, Mercury and Tuxedo Mask dashed in to ensure that everyone had managed to escape. Satisfied that everyone was out, they exited the building just as the flames erupted upwards to engulf the whole structure. None of the aliens' supporters looked too eager to engage the Sailor Senshi in battle. They made themselves scarce as the Sailor Senshi looked on.

Eventually the building was damaged enough that almost the entire outer casing was destroyed. The framework looked very shaky and a few more attacks from Moon and Pluto brought the store down to the ground just as Hamilton returned from wherever he had been.

"I see you've burnt down my headquarters," he idly noted, as he floated a fair distance above them. "Meant to be a provocation?"

"It's symbolic," Venus repeated.

"Ah, yes. I understand symbolism very well." He did not even finish his sentence before he had fired a blast downward directly at Sailor Moon. The blast moved too quickly for her to avoid it and the others screamed as they watched her take the full impact. As the dust cleared she was lying face down in the middle of a small crater.

After a moment she planted her palms on the ground and pushed herself to her knees.

"That hurt," she said, spitting out bits of dirt. She jumped to her feet and fired her own shot back. Hamilton easily dodged it.

"You've surprised me, Sailor Moon," he said. He landed in front of the group. "I'd have liked to have brainwashed one or two more of you Sailor Senshi to serve me but, well, if you insist on dying." He pointed his index fingers forward and fired off two lasers aimed directly at Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask. This time they both saw the attacks coming and they handily dodged them as Sailor Pluto and Sailor Saturn moved forward, glaive and staff at the ready.

"Dead Scream."

"Silent Surprise."

He moved aside but the attacks followed after him. He hissed in pain as they caught up and hit him squarely in the chest. He grit his teeth and dashed forward. A quick punch sent Pluto reeling backwards and a kick to the stomach made Saturn wince and drop to her knees. Still she kept up with her attack, looking determined to kill him once and for all.

"You can't kill me, Sailor Saturn," he yelled, "You're not strong enough!" He ripped the ribbons off and in a rage grabbed Sailor Saturn by the neck and tossed her into the nearest building.

He batted aside Mars and Mercury's attacks before turning his attention to Sailor Venus. "You…"

A voice from above yelled "Lord Hamilton!" Accra descended and landed next to Hamilton, who looked annoyed at her arrival. "Did we not say we would focus our attentions on Sailor Moon?"

"You want revenge as much as I do, Lady Accra," he said, glaring at Venus with murderous intent.

"You are not allowed to kill her," she told him, stressing each word as if speaking to a slow infant. "And of course, but let us get rid of the annoying one, first."

"Fine."

Sailor Moon yelped and leapt away as two energy blasts rapidly flew at her. The tail end caught her feet and she flew end over end before landing painfully on the pavement a distance away. The attacks continued to fly at her and she scrambled to avoid them. She could not move fast enough, the blasts kept hitting her and she clenched her jaw so hard to avoid screaming that she was sure she was chipping her teeth.

"Shit!" Venus ran at Hamilton, sword swinging. Hamilton momentarily paused his assault on Sailor Moon to fire a shot at Venus, who dodged it and swung downward. Hamilton stepped aside just in time, losing two inches of hair in the process. Furious, he smashed his cane down on Venus's head. She began to bleed from her scalp and the sudden excessive blood loss made her dizzy enough for him to catch her by surprise when he fired another blast at her. This time it struck cleanly and she was sent flying backwards.

Mercury and Mars had moved closer to Accra to once again engage her in hand-to-hand combat. The look of dread on her face was almost worth it, if only it hadn't been replaced by focused determination. She quickly flew out of their range and fired another, more powerful shot at Sailor Moon.

An attack from Pluto forced her aim off and the attack ended up hitting Mars and Mercury. They, too, ended up in the centre of small crater, barely breathing.

How had Sailor Moon gotten up again after this? After an agonizing amount of time spent recovering, they pulled themselves to their feet, only to see Saturn's ribbons wrapped around Accra. Accra was angrily tearing them off but her attention was diverted when she noticed Hamilton had Venus in his grips once again. He threw her to the ground and when she landed he aimed at her.

"Damn it Lord Hamilton, what did I tell you?! You are not to kill her!" She ignored Saturn's attack and fired a shot at Hamilton, sending his aim off and hitting the unlucky Mercury and Mars once again.

"I'm ordering a retreat!" Sailor Moon shouted. Pluto, Saturn and Tuxedo Mask grabbed the other three and they hastily disappeared into the night.

* * *

_DAY FORTY-SIX – EDOGAWA – PRO-ALIEN FACTION CONTROL – SAILOR MOON, SAILOR PLUTO, SAILOR SATURN, TUXEDO MASK_

Ami, Rei, and Minako were still recovering as the others headed to Edogawa for a more dangerous mission. After repeated requests, leaders of the pro-alien faction in the ward had finally agreed to meet with the Sailor Senshi. They went in fully expecting a trap; they were pleased when they found the meeting site empty of all people except two of the leaders.

"Let's be frank," the first one, Takatsuki, said, "The only negotiations we will undertake are those involving the terms of your surrender."

Tuxedo Mask looked unimpressed. "Accra and Hamilton let you speak for them?" he asked.

"Of course not," the second one, Fujibayashi, replied, "And that's _Lady_ Accra and _Lord_ Hamilton. No, we do not speak for them, but we may be able to convince them to go a little easier on the people who have rebelled against them." He paused. "Of course, they'll want you and all the Sailor Senshi's heads on pikes."

Can we really negotiate with them? Sailor Moon wondered. Their lack of information made her doubt it. Accra and Hamilton did not want all of their heads on pikes. Sailor Venus and Sailor Saturn were exempted, somehow.

Sailor Pluto seemed to have had the same thought. "Let us forget, for the moment, what kind of terms you can or cannot convince Accra and Hamilton to accept," she said. "Is there anything we could possibly do to convince you to join forces with us?"

"I hope you haven't called us here to ask us to betray our masters."

Fujibayashi held his hand up. "I know you'll say they're not our masters," he said, "But we are serving them in exchange for their protection. What else could you call them?"

Sailor Moon could hardly believe what she was hearing. "They're protecting you…from them. I would call them evil psy – "

" – fearmongering manipulators," Tuxedo Mask interjected.

"You Sailor Senshi are the ones who are fearmongering," Takatsuki said. "Lady Accra and Lord Hamilton are harmless, if one listens to them. You make it seem as if they are to be feared."

"They are!" Sailor Saturn said. The two men stared at her glaive distrustfully.

Maybe not the best messenger.

"Trust me," Sailor Moon said. "They will kill you as soon as you stop being useful to them, that is, as soon as they take over all of Tokyo."

"They wouldn't do that." Fujibayashi tried to sound stern, but uncertainty leaked through.

Tuxedo Mask seized on it. "If there is one thing we must grant Lady Accra, it is that she is very good at keeping her promises. Has she said anything to the effect that she will not kill you no matter what happens? Or have her statements been vague?"

_You shall live so long as you serve me_, she had told Takatsuki and Fujibayashi. They exchanged uneasy looks.

"It would be a lot easier to be on your side," Fujibayashi offered, "If it looked like you had a chance of winning."

"As it stands, all our days are numbered anyway." Takutsuki smiled. "Might as well die on the winning side." He stood up and bowed. "Goodbye, Sailor Senshi. Fire."

From the shadows dozens of armed men emerged. Saturn threw up a wall and they quickly escaped.

* * *

_DAY FIFTY – SHIBUYA – AMERICAN ARMY CONTROL – USAGI, MINAKO, AMI, MAMORU_

After those negotiations proved to be a bust Usagi was less than optimistic about speaking with the Americans. Minako had been contacted by the American captain that had spirited away the Imperial Household. He had told her that the U.S. Air Force had been forced to take control over Shibuya after rebels had tried to destroy their base. A brigadier-general had been called in to observe the situation and he had decided that the U.S. military was now ready to talk to the Senshi.

"Don't expect too much," he warned, "But at least you have a chance."

When Brigadier-General Thompson first met them he wondered if they could possibly be the famous Sailor Senshi that he heard so much about. A slight man and three slighter women stood before him. They looked so much bigger on television. They bowed slightly.

"Thank you for meeting with us."

"It is my pleasure." He hesitated. He was tempted to ask how they had gotten their injuries – they were all covered in multiple bandages – but it would be impolite to ask. "Let's talk military," he said instead. He lead them to a small meeting room. They sat around the round table and laid their case out before him but in the end it came down to three things.

They needed air support, supplies, and units to help the JSDF.

"What kind of supplies?" he asked.

"Food," Usagi immediately replied.

"Medical," Ami added.

"Weapons?" Minako hazarded.

He shook his head. "Food and medical I'll have to set up a supply line but I should be able to get something to you quickly enough. Weapons, air support, and units, I'll have to speak with my superiors first."

There it was again, that damned chain of command.

"I don't mean to be demanding," Mamoru said, "But we need these as soon as possible."

"I promise you, you'll have an answer in ten days."

"We've already been at war for fifty days," Minako pressed. "We cannot wait ten more."

"Sorry. That's the best I can do." He looked at their stressed faces and decided to disclose something to them that he was not supposed to. "Keep this confidential, but if this makes you feel any better, we've already got covert control of Shinagawa."

* * *

_DAY FIFTY-THREE – TAITOU – FOLLOWERS AND ARTIST CONTROL – MINAKO, HOTARU, SETSUNA_

The whiteboard now looked like this:

* * *

UP: Moon (R), Mercury (R), Mars (R), Venus (R), Saturn (A), Pluto (A), Tuxedo Mask (A) (7)

DOWN: Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune (3)

AGAINST US: Chuo, Edogawa

FOR US: Taitou, Chiyoda, Shinjuku, Bunkyo, Nakano, Meguro (sort of), Shibuya, Arakawa, Toshima

MINATO: Good – Roppongi, Odaiba. Bad – Every other district

* * *

They were doing pretty well, all things considered, Minako thought. With Shinagawa included, ten wards were pretty definitively theirs, soon to be eleven, as the JSDF had managed to capture Arakawa and were now working on Kita.

Ten wards. And it had taken almost two whole months.

They had to move faster.

* * *

_DAY FIFTY-SEVEN – GINZA, CHUO – HAMILTON AND ACCRA CONTROL – ALL SAILOR SENSHI AND TUXEDO MASK_

Last time had gone less than perfectly but they had to try again. They had to defeat Hamilton and Accra. They gathered in Ginza once again and watched and waited until Hamilton and Accra returned from wherever they had been.

"Both at once?" Tuxedo Mask asked, his voice pinched with worry.

Venus shrugged. "If one of them is really in trouble the other will just come running anyway," she said. "As we have seen." She considered their home base, the Kabuki-za theatre they had declared theirs after they had destroyed the flagship Wako store. The newly-finished Kabuki-za had far fewer windows than the department store had and was supposedly fireproof.

"Maybe we'll have better luck in an enclosed space," she added.

"Shall we?" Pluto prompted. The rest nodded and they moved silently through the streets, the cloudy night sky providing enough cover that they could reach the building unseen. They split up at the front. Sailor Moon, Venus, and Saturn stood at the front entrance. Sailor Mars and Tuxedo Mask went to the west side of the building, Sailor Pluto and Mercury to the east.

"Ready?"

Sailor Moon, Venus and Saturn quickly busted the front door down and entered the theatre. It was utterly silent. They tentatively walked through the building, passing by the abandoned ticket booths and waiting areas. They entered the auditorium and saw Hamilton and Accra on stage, staring directly at them. Armed men flanked them and lined the sides of the auditorium.

"Sailor Senshi. We've been expecting you." Hamilton smiled but he did not look happy at all. "Your attacks have ceased to amuse us."

"Sailor Venus, Sailor Saturn, you had better step out of the way," Accra said. They stepped in front of Sailor Moon, arms outstretched to block her. Accra shook her head. "I know a few bullets won't kill you. Fire!"

They ducked behind the back row of seats but the men were closing in quickly. Venus had not actually expected Accra to fire on them though she supposed they had shown their ability to sustain gun wounds. She heard windows crash and in came the others from the high windows at the sides of the building, attack names already spilling from their lips. The floor filled with ice and the air with fog and soon enough the men were accidentally shooting each other.

Venus left Sailor Moon with Saturn. She had to get to Hamilton and Accra quickly. She dashed down the centre aisle and reached the stage in seconds. With a swing of her sword she sliced Hamilton's arm. She did not manage to cut it off entirely but the sword had cut him deeply enough that his arm hung from his shoulder by just a few tendons.

"What the fuck?!" Hamilton screeched out as he felt his limb being separated from his body. He backpedalled and drew up a gust that cleared the fog around him and gave him a clear view of Sailor Venus, running at him full speed with sword facing forward. He still had a scar from where she had stabbed him and now his arm would take probably months to heal.

Unacceptable. When Venus was a few feet away he shoved her sword aside and smashed her face with his good arm. She reeled backward, blood spilling from her nose, and Hamilton gave her not an instant to recover. He followed up with a kick to her stomach and swiped at her leg to make her fall onto the stage. She was sprawled on the ground. He stepped on her neck and aimed at her head.

A blast of fire and ice barreled at him and he was forced aside by the power of the attack. Sailor Mercury and Mars leapt onto the stage and hurried to help Sailor Venus back to her feet. Hamilton slipped on the blood flowing from his arm and fell to his knees. Sailor Venus ran at him once again, swinging her sword with the intent to cut his head off. He waited until she was just below the stage lights and with a laser he cut their supports. The lights came crashing down on her and her friends shouted her name but she pushed the iron contraptions off of her easily.

"You've made whole buildings fall on us and we've survived," she said. "What makes you think some lights would hurt me?"

She once again came at him sword swinging. The fog had finally cleared. Hamilton took aim and fired a laser at Sailor Moon. Sailor Moon, engaged in battle with Accra, had not seen it coming and was blasted off her feet by the attack. Venus glanced back at Sailor Moon and in that distracted moment, Hamilton blasted her with a laser was well and she was sent flying off the stage.

With the fog now cleared Accra and Hamilton's fighters could now aim properly again. They shot at Mars and Mercury on stage and they were spattered with bullets as the bright lights made them clear targets. Mars fell to the floor and lit her hands up. The wooden stage caught fire and soon smoke filled the auditorium. Hamilton heard his forces coughing and he felt irritated by how weak these humans were. A bit of smoke and they were practically dead. The percussive, repetitive sound of the coughing annoyed him. With a blast of energy he killed two of the men. The others saw this and rushed to exit the auditorium, terrified.

A laser hit him and scalded his skin. Sailor Venus had recovered and was firing off attack after attack, forcing him to step backward, right into a tangle of Sailor Saturn's cursed ribbons. He screamed in pain as they cut into him and drained him of power. Accra cut the ribbons off him and blasted Sailor Saturn away. They now stood back to back, fending off the Sailor Senshi who converged on them now that they were no longer forced to hide from the rain of bullets.

Hamilton and Accra endured their attacks for a few seconds before simultaneously unleashing their own, a forcefield of energy that knocked all of them off their feet and left them dizzy and disorientated for long enough that Hamilton and Accra could finally get revenge for grudges they had held since the Shinjuku battle. Hamilton grabbed Sailor Venus and lifted her up by the neck, her feet dangling. Accra grabbed Mars, who was closer than Sailor Mercury, and tightly gripped her wrists.

"For stabbing me in the stomach," Hamilton said. He struck her solar plexus over and over again. She could hardly breathe, with his hand around her windpipe and his strikes making her lungs stop functioning. Her face took on a blue cast.

"For ruining my hands," Accra said. Her hands were indeed still scarred from the blisters Mercury and Mars had incurred. Accra had Mars' wrists caught with one hand and with the other she slowly broke her fingers. Mars bit her own tongue as she tried not to scream. The pain pulsed through her, spiking sharply in the arm that had been repeatedly broken.

The others had finally managed to get back to their feet. They attacked Hamilton and Accra once more. Still the two refused to let go of their victims. Even as Saturn's pain ribbons surrounded Accra and as Tuxedo Mask went right up to Hamilton and tried to pry his fingers off of Venus they did not stop. Hamilton kicked Tuxedo Mask away and Accra fire a shot at Saturn.

Accra shoved Mars to the ground. Mars knocked her head against half-destroyed stage and her eyes widened when Accra loomed above her. Accra raised her hands and sent a blast at close range toward Salior Mars. Sailor Saturn hastily erected a shield but it only deflected the attack away from Mars' upper body and toward her legs.

It was better than being dead, Sailor Mars thought, and that was about it.

Her failed attempt to finally kill Mars shook Accra out of her lust for revenge. She turned toward Hamilton who had stopped choking Venus and who was now instead slicing thousands of short, deep cuts into her with sharply pinpointed laser attacks.

"Stop, what are you doing? I told you not to kill Venus."

Hamilton scowled. "I wasn't going to kill her."

But she certainly looked half-dead, on the floor bleeding from everywhere.

But she was Sailor Venus. She took their moment of conversation to raise her sword once again and fling it at Accra. It spun end over end and sliced across her torso leaving a deep cut in her stomach.

"Fuck!" Accra hissed. "Dammit, Sailor Venus! I just saved your life!"

"Sorry," Sailor Venus said.

"Fuck, ouch." The cut hurt very, very badly. She wondered how Hamilton had even survived getting stabbed. "Sailor Senshi. We forgot to tell you. The west is completely ours now." She raised herself up but cringed and grabbed at her stomach again. "We're coming for the wards."

With those words, the aliens disappeared.

* * *

_DAY FIFTY-EIGHT – TAITOU – FOLLOWERS AND ARTIST CONTROL – USAGI, REI_

How long had it been now?

Fifty-eight days of war that had consumed their whole lives.

She lay on the bed, face down, trying not to think, but thoughts of violence and death continued to flash before her eyes. She felt herself spin deeper and deeper into the depths of something terrible and if she did not drag herself back out of it right now she thought she'd end up catatonic.

So: The Usagi game.

Her leg had almost gotten blown off and all of her fingers were broken.

It had been two whole weeks before that since her last major injury.

Makoto, Haruka and Michiru were dead.

Six other Senshi plus Tuxedo Mask were still alive.

They weren't making much progress in defeating Hamilton and Accra.

They were kind of at a standstill with the pro-alien forces on Earth.

They had killed many people.

It made the accidental death of that salaryman seem slightly less horrible.

She started to laugh. She sucked at this game. The house was too somber to be laughing this loudly; she pressed her lips together tightly and felt her shoulders shake as she barely constrained the guffaws that threatened to come out.

"Hey, Rei-chan, what's wrong? Why are you crying?"

Usagi leaned over her.

"Me? Crying? Who do I look like, you?" She rolled over and dropped down to the floor.

"Not at all," Usagi said, and it was only then that Rei noticed Usagi's red-rimmed eyes.

"Hey. What about you? What's wrong?"

Usagi's eyes dropped to Rei's leg wrapped in bandages and her fingers in splints. Rei cringed and drew in on herself but there was no way to hide her injuries.

But voicing concern was useless, Usagi knew. "I'm worried about Minako," she said instead.

Rei sat up. After Bunkyo and Shinjuku, she, Ami, Hotaru, Setsuna, and Minako could all very well call themselves murderers. But only Minako had been through both, and only Minako had killed Makoto, Michiru, and Haruka, and only Minako had that damned sword.

"Yeah," she said. "I'm worried about her too."

* * *

_DAY FIFTY-NINE – TAITOU – FOLLOWERS' AND ARTISTS' CONTROL – MINAKO AND USAGI_

She had been wrong. Again.

She had given them forty days but both Mercury and Mars had recovered admirably or, at the very least, were able to ignore their personal pain while they had a war on their hands.

They were now nearing sixty days and she wondered if Ami's prediction would come true. She thought that maybe, for once, she had overestimated herself. She was not someone who could command armies to kill; who could kill with her own bare hands; even when it was for the great good –

Whatever that was.

No, she had done the right thing. Ami, Rei, Hotaru, and Setsuna had all made the same choice, of their own free will. They couldn't possibly all be wrong, right?

So why had she been having such a hard time looking Usagi in the eye ever since Bunkyo?

She sighed and turned to face the ceiling. Who was on lookout? Who was on patrol? She couldn't even remember. She glanced at her watch. Right, no one was on patrol. Their injuries were still too fresh for them to be of any use in a battle out in the city.

As for lookout, it was about time for her and Rei to go relieve whoever was on the rooftop right now. She leaned over to wake Rei up but hesitated when she noticed that she was actually sleeping soundly for once. She shook her head and made her way up to the roof alone, where she found Usagi sitting next to a sleeping Mamoru.

Usagi did not notice Minako's arrival. She was idly stroking Mamoru's hair and appeared to be lost in thought. Minako cleared her throat. Usagi cringed as she realized she had been caught red-handed.

"I'm sorry, I didn't want to wake him…"

Minako shook her head.

"It's fine."

She sat down next to Usagi and stared at the dark sky. Usagi made no move to return inside.

Far be it from Minako to let anything unsettling lurk between them.

"Bunkyo," she said, "And Shinjuku. What do you think?"

Usagi remained silent for a long stretch before she sniffed and replied: "I think it's awful." Usagi leaned back until she was lying on the roof. "I think it's awful that those people died. I think it's awful that you killed them. I think it's awful…that you had to."

"You really think so?" Minako asked, chancing a glance at Usagi, who was staring at her with bright blue eyes wide open. She looked away.

"No. I don't really think so. But I know _you_ thought so. I can kind of see why." She sighed. "And I know it wasn't easy for you."

"I didn't realize I'd ever have to make choices like these," Minako said, thinking back to when her fourteen-year-old self had met a talking cat. "I'm sorry."

After that, Usagi remained silent for so long that Minako thought she might have fallen asleep. She looked at her again. Her eyes were closed. She moved to scoop her up but Usagi suddenly opened her eyes again.

"I'm not mad at any of you. I'm just upset that this is something that happened." She sat up. "But I am mad at all of you for not letting yourselves feel sad about it. You can't hold up like this."

Minako smiled. "We'll be fine. It's just easier like this, for now."

Usagi grabbed Minako's hands.

"We're going to defeat Accra and Hamilton."

"Yes."

"But who knows how long it will take."

"Yes."

"This is a war, isn't it."

Minako's tears appeared like a sudden flow as Usagi drew her into a tight embrace.

* * *

_DAY SIXTY – MINATO AND THE REST OF THE SPECIAL WARDS – DISPUTED CONTROL – ALL SAILOR SENSHI AND TUXEDO MASK_

"Wake up. Wake up!"

The Sailor Senshi and Tuxedo Mask had spent three days sleeping away their injuries. They had heard vague ominous news from their allied wards, of Hamilton and Accra's factions getting suddenly stronger, of how bloody the fights between the resistance and the traitors were getting, and of how shaky their control in their ten painstakingly-won wards was.

But they could do little to help, even as they heard of all this, even as they watched some of the Followers come in bloody and nearly dead from the fighting going on right outside their walls.

Accra and Hamilton's armies had poured in from the west and had easily taken most of the wards the Senshi hadn't gotten to. Their ten wards had not yet fallen, but from what the ex-Followers told them, they were close.

The aliens were now in Minato – Hamilton in Roppongi, Accra in Odaiba – and it was obvious that the whole ward would soon be theirs. Hamilton had somehow gotten the giant LCD billboards on the towers in shopping districts across Tokyo working once more and he broadcast live.

"Tokyo is ours. You resistance fighters left in the Sailor Senshi's wards, give up now and we will allow you to join us."

Hamilton on the screen lifted the body of Yuuto, the Senshi's Yakuza contact.

"This is what happens to the Sailor Senshi's allies."

They exchanged alarmed glances as they thought of the student leaders in Nakano and Bunkyo, the ex-Followers in Taitou and Arakawa, the Akayashis in Shinjuku, Saito Kenji in Meguro, Senator Hino in Chiyoda, the Americans in Shinagawa and Shibuya.

They were as good as dead if they didn't leave Tokyo immediately. They said as much to the ex-Followers who said they'd rather die than leave, and who told them that most of their allies felt the same way. "Even the Americans. They said they have something up their sleeve."

What the Americans could possibly have up their sleeve made them all nervous, but they could not go speak to them just yet. Their first priority was Minato and when they arrived the scene looked exactly how they had imagined it. There were bodies everywhere, the blood of those who had stayed and fought sloping down toward the sewers, gathering in puddles in potholes, and staining walls and windows. Accra and Hamilton's supporters were marching down the street, gunning down survivors wherever they found them.

And many of the aliens' people were stationed on rooftops, scanning the high places, waiting for the Sailor Senshi to arrive.

"We have to take them down," Tuxedo Mask said, his gloved hands curled into fists.

"How are we going to do that?" Sailor Mars bit back, waving her hands. "We got the crap beat out of us last time, did you forget?"

"I sure as hell haven't forgotten," Venus said, "But look at these bodies, god – we have to stop them. Now." She drew herself up, fought not to wince from the sharp pain in her stomach that she still felt from Hamilton's attack on her. "This has to be our final stand. Either we kill them or they kill us." She looked at each of them, her face drawn tight, their expressions mirroring hers. "Ready?"

"Ready." Sailor Venus whipped around at the voice from behind her. Her eyes widened as Accra swung her fist at her. Her knuckles met her nose and Sailor Venus's head snapped back as she was sent tumbling to the ground.

"Really, Lady Accra? You of all people felt the need to sucker punch someone?" Mars couldn't help but taunt her, which she regretted immediately as a blast of energy shot toward her. She barely ducked in time. The blast smashed against a telephone pole behind her. The cement structure snapped in two, the top half falling and dragging wires down with it.

"That will be you, next time, Sailor Mars," Accra said.

"Why?" Sailor Moon asked. She took a step forward. "Why are you doing this?"

"Why are we taking over the planet, do you mean?" Accra frowned. "There is something I have wondered about for quite a while now. Before I kill you, I would appreciate it if you'd answer one question – why _haven't_ you girls and your man-friend taken over the planet?" She surveyed them carefully. "Yes, Sailor Moon, I am quite aware that you do not have the brutality required to do so, nor do you think you have the answers to society's problems, nor do you think you're worthy of such a position of power." She flicked her hand. Sailor Pluto and Saturn had been inching closer to her and a gust of wind forced them back.

"But the rest of you. A planet Earth under the reign of the rest of you would have been something worth seeing. Something worth preserving, even, if Neptune and Uranus had been in on it as well."

She smiled. "Why, Sailor Senshi, it might not seem like it, but I do admire you all now more than I ever thought I would. You are all invited to join me as my enforcers in the new world – even you two bleeding hearts," she added, nodding toward Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask.

"You're disgusting," Venus hissed.

"Am I?" Accra, obviously amused, raised an eyebrow. "Perhaps. But what I really am is disappointed."

She stretched her hands out and a gale wind made them stumble and be wholly unprepared for the blasts of energy that flew down at them from the sky. They shrieked as the blasts exploded on contact, but they were more surprising than painful. Sailor Venus quickly caught her footing and looked upward. She narrowed her eyes.

"Venus Love-Me Chain!" she screamed out. The chain hurtled toward the sky, far into the distance until the other end was no longer visible. The chain suddenly stiffened and began to slip from her hands. She tightened her grip and with a grunt of effort pulled downward and toward her. A few hundred meters away Hamilton smashed into the sidewalk and was dragged toward Venus. He freed himself moments before he reached her and immediately sent a blast at her that she wasn't quick enough to avoid.

He looked only moderately disheveled from his unglamorous landing but it wasn't the wild strands of hair or the dirt and tears on the suit that made him stand out the most.

It was the feral eyes and the bared teeth and the blood fairly drenching his suit that made the Senshi recoil in horror.

"Lord Hamilton, what delayed you?" Accra asked.

"Lady Accra, nothing but a group of wild men." He smiled at the Senshi. "Some of your people can be quite savage when they are fighting for their lives." He turned back to Accra. "Anyway, I have killed all of the Roppongi Yakuza."

"I don't believe it would have taken you this long to eliminate barely-trained gangsters. I killed all those sailors in Odaiba long ago."

"You are correct. I also paid a visit to a house in Taitou to free certain prisoners. They provided me with a list they obtained from a formerly-alive man named Tetsuo." He paused. "My new hit list. Would you like to see, Sailor Senshi?"

SUZUKI NATSUKI

AKAYASHI PETZ

AKAYASHI CALAVERAS

AKAYASHI BERTHIER

AKAYASHI KOAN

ENDO SHIZUKA

REAR ADMIRAL TOHRU

BRIGADIER-GENERAL THOMPSON

CAPTAIN RYO TOUSEN

Sailor Mercury and Tuxedo Mask exchanged surprised looks at that last name. They thought he had died long ago, after their raid on Fuji TV.

"He is a slippery one," Hamilton said, catching their expressions. "Lady Accra, are you quite certain you won't reconsider the family members clause?" He eyed Sailor Mars.

"Quite. How many times must I tell you that you are not allowed to put Hino Takashi on your list?" She shook her head. "Sailor Mars, I apologize if Lord Hamilton caused you any worry."

Sailor Mars' forehead was knit with lines as she frowned in utter confusion. Lord Hamilton's actions were somewhat mysterious but Lady Accra's ways stumped her entirely. She looked to Sailor Venus, who shrugged.

"Well, shall we?" Hamilton said, pointing a finger toward the Senshi. "Not to worry, Lady Accra, I remember the rules." He fired a laser beam that Sailor Moon narrowly avoided.

"Thank you. We shall. Goodbye, Sailor Senshi."

She leaned over and laid her palms flat against the earth. The ground began to shake and bits of sidewalk and road cracked open. Suddenly a mountain of rocks shot out from below them, the force of the upward impact flinging them every which way. They landed, scattered, and Hamilton and Accra shot out energy blast after energy blast that forced the Senshi to run for cover. But the only cover they could find was street furniture and buildings' walls and both of these Hamilton and Accra easily smashed to bits, sending wood and steel and concrete smashing into the Senshi as their hiding places became projectiles.

"We have to get you closer to one of them," Sailor Mars muttered to Venus and Mercury. They both nodded and as one they spun toward Hamilton and Accra and ran toward them. Hamilton and Accra looked surprised but were quick to attack them. Mars and Mercury unleashed their own attacks, not strong enough to stop or deflect the blasts entirely, but enough that when they did get hit they could continue their path forward. Venus ran behind them, sword at the ready, until they had gotten close enough for her to leap over Mars and Mercury and slash downward.

Hamilton had prepared this time. He backpedalled quickly and the blade just missed him. He jumped forward and stepped on the blade. Venus was forced to bend over to keep her hold on the sword and her face met Hamilton's knee. Still with a tight grip on the hilt she reeled backward and felt blood slip down her nose. Hamilton was suddenly at no distance from her; he smacked her aside and sent her flying into a nearby building.

"Sailor Venus!" Sailor Moon looked enraged, a sight rare enough that Hamilton did a doubletake when he caught her bared teeth and narrowed eyes. "Silver Moon Crystal Power Kiss!"

One of the worst parts about Sailor Moon's attacks, Hamilton privately thought, was how bright they were. He hissed in pain as his pupils narrowed into pinholes too quickly and he could do nothing but grind his teeth and bear the power of the attack. The attack was much shorter than it should have been, however, and when he once again regained his sight he saw that Accra had grabbed hold of Sailor Moon and had shoved her up against a wall.

Mercury and Mars were by her side in an instant. They wrapped their hands around Accra's who let her grip on Sailor Moon's neck momentarily slacken.

"You wouldn't dare."

They said nothing; they simply let their power flow to their hands in a sudden rush that had Accra scream in pain and hastily let go of Sailor Moon.

Accra's agony lasted only a moment; ropes of energy wrapped around Mercury and Mars' waists and pulled them away from her. They were dragged backward and were forced off their feet and onto their knees, the rough paved surface scraping their skin.

"Would you look at that sadism!" Hamilton said. He let go of the ropes and watched as the trail of energy wrapped around their arms and legs, immobilizing them completely. "I should have tried to get you two as my little brainwashed Sailor Senshi. Oh well." He approached the pair and kicked Sailor Mercury in the ribs, hard enough that they could all hear the cracking sound of her bones breaking. She gasped for breath and leaked tears despite her best attempts not to; she could swear her rib and collarbones were nothing but shards of collagen, now.

"I can be rather sadistic, as well," he said, leaving Sailor Mercury to go loom over Sailor Mars.

"I'm not afraid of you," she said, struggling to free herself.

"Really? You should be." He let his foot rest lightly on her throat.

She spat at him.

"Oh. I can see why Lady Accra hates you so much." He let the bind drop. She leapt to her feet but not quickly enough; he grabbed her arm and she felt her heartbeat wildly increase pace as he pulled it downward.

A rose skinned Hamilton's arm before he could break her arm bone yet again; Tuxedo Mask followed up by flinging his cane at Hamilton and glancing the side of his head. Hamilton's moment of distraction was all that Mars needed to wrap her arms around Hamilton and let herself warm up until she herself was sweating. Hamilton struggled to free himself but the agonizing pain from the burn made it too difficult to focus.

Accra watched this all out of the corner of her eye.

"Tsk." She turned her attentions back to Pluto and Saturn, who had been unrelenting in their attacks. She was so tired of fighting these two, tired of how much their attacks hurt and angry about these scars that Saturn's attacks had left after she had been hit with those ribbons too damned often.

She was not allowed to kill Saturn, unfortunately, she reminded herself. She turned her attention away from them for a moment to send a blast at Sailor Mars who, to her surprise, continued to resolutely hold on to Hamilton.

"Oh dear." She paused to gather her energies, hating how Saturn and Pluto and a now-recovered Venus kept targeting her. She kept a close watch as Venus tentatively approached. Venus was close now; ten metres away, five, three, one –

She clapped her hands.

A sonic boom erupted through the area forcing the Sailor Senshi to drop their attacks, fall to their knees and clap their hands over their ringing ears. She took a step forward and kicked Sailor Venus in the stomach, sending her crashing into another building. She approached Pluto, drew a knife from a thigh holster, and stabbed her in the stomach, repeatedly, until her bodice was covered in blood. By then Saturn had recovered and she was screaming 'Mama!' over and over again in that horrible way of Earth children. She tossed the knife aside and looked to Hamilton whose skin appeared charred and who smelled of burnt hair. He held a bloody fire hydrant in his hands and Sailor Mars, Sailor Moon, and Tuxedo Mask were on the ground, large pools of blood beneath their heads.

"Disgusting. Let's finish them all at once." She grabbed the still-crying Sailor Saturn and tossed her as far away as she could. Hamilton did the same for Sailor Venus and the two floated into the air and looked down at the beaten Sailor Senshi below them.

* * *

Mars felt sick and dizzy and she tried to pull herself to her knees but all she could manage to do was roll over and get a view of the sky. She glared at Accra and Hamilton, far above them, preparing their final attack.

She clenched her jaw as a shot of fear suddenly ran through her. Something was coming. Something big. She listened very carefully and heard the telltale buzz. She'd heard this buzz before, but where? Was she watching some kind of TV special? Yes. A news special about some kind of weapon. What were they called? UAVs? There was another name for them. What was it…what was it?

Drones!

Her eyes widened. This was not what they had meant by aerial support and she could not wrap her mind around the idea that the Americans were actually attacking Hamilton and Accra directly.

So she didn't try. She leapt to her feet, ignoring the pain and rush of nausea and dark spots before her eyes.

"Move!" she said. She pulled Tuxedo Mask and Sailor Moon to their feet and ran, scooping Sailor Mercury up along the way, trusting Tuxedo Mask to grab Sailor Pluto. She chanced a glance back and noticed that Tuxedo Mask had Sailor Pluto cradled against him as expected; what worried her was that Hamilton and Accra appeared to have finally noticed their sudden departure. The aliens moved to chase after them but were stopped short by the Hellfire missiles that struck them with perfect accuracy.

With a reverberating rumble a huge cloud of dust rose in the area and cast an ugly, misshapen shadow against the ground.

* * *

AN: I debated with myself for a long time about this and, while I don't think the Sailor Senshi at the end of StarS would have made the decisions they did in this chapter, I do think that after everything they've experienced in this story, they would. Feedback on this is appreciated.

**Gear001** LOL no happy ending because I am the worst person. I am glad you hate the villains, I hope this chapter made them more hate-able. **Jovian Sun**, for plot purposes Galaxia is dealing with a major villain in another solar system. The villains' motives (or lack thereof) are revealed in the next chapter. **Lookin for the truth**, thanks! Hopefully I'll have seventeen up by sooner than this one, it'll be a little shorter than this MEGA chapter. **X-Kali-X**, I covered some of it in this chapter. I could have gone more in depth but yes, it would have been more of the same. **StormBrisingr**, it was hard to kill them but it had to be done! **Alanna Hrncir**, thank you! I'm gratified to be able to write something affecting.


	18. The Yellow Fog

CHAPTER SIXTEEN SUMMARY

Accra and Hamilton take over Western Tokyo. The Sailor Senshi and their allies struggle to gain control over eastern Tokyo. Still they manage to get many people on their side, including ex-Followers, artists, students, the Yakuza, sailors and port workers, the government, the JSDF, and the American army. And their victories are many: they gain control over several wards; successfully evacuate the Imperial Household, part of the Diet, and large swathes of the population; and find a cure for Accra's virus. But these victories come at a heavy price. They suffer from critical injuries and severe malnutrition; psychological trauma and emotional despair as they are forced to make moral compromises. And despite repeated attempts, they also fail to achieve the most important victory, that of defeating Accra and Hamilton. When Accra and Hamilton declare that they will begin their takeover of eastern Tokyo, the Sailor Senshi make what they hope will be a final attempt to bring them down. It ends in a Sailor Senshi retreat as American drones rain bombs down on the aliens.

**CHAPTER SEVENTEEN**

The smoke cleared.

The missile strike had completely uprooted the pavement, revealing the earth underneath. There, Accra and Hamilton had crash-landed. They were covered in dust, their clothes were torn, and they had a few scrapes, but otherwise they looked just as they had before.

"I believe that the Brigadier-General has suddenly moved to the top of our list," Accra said.

"No," Hamilton said, "Everyone in this city is on our list." He stood up, brushed the dirt off his shirt, and carefully re-arranged his hair. "Where did those Sailor Senshi go?"

"Does it matter?" Accra said. She, too, stood up, and surveyed the area. "Lord Hamilton, perhaps we ought to give this city's inhabitants more warning. You mean to unleash the fog, correct?"

"They have rebelled against us time and again, and we have warned them every time. It is time the world learn that we are not to be trifled with." He floated upwards. Accra followed him into the sky. They stopped once they could see the ocean.

"Fair enough," she said.

* * *

Everything in Tokyo gained a sickly tinge as a yellow fog rolled through. The fog crawled through the streets, seeped into buildings through windows and air vents and every minor imperfection, found every alley and grove and hidden place in the city.

The residents of Tokyo could do nothing as the atmosphere became contaminated and turned thick like the air on a humid summer day. The fog felt like a cool fine mist and smelled very slightly of acid.

Half the people who breathed the fog in died.

The poison in the fog was especially harsh on children. Those children who did not die suffered other effects. They lost their hair. Their teeth fell out. They were stricken with respiratory disorders.

The adults who survived grew angry as they watched children fall ill and die. Children were not supposed to die first. Tokyo became an even more violent place. All the painstaking order that various parties had put into place – be they pro-Earth or pro-alien forces – fell apart. The turn to anarchy saw Tokyo's buildings razed and streets torn up. Neighbours murdered neighbours for the smallest of slights. The already-dire food situation worsened as even potable water became scarce.

No one could leave Tokyo, and no one could enter it either, lest they be killed. Tokyo was now a quarantined disaster zone.

It all happened in a matter of days.

* * *

The poisonous fog did not affect the Sailor Senshi.

That was their only bit of luck. Their homebase having been ransacked, they were forced to move from place to place, and nobody was ever happy to see them. Even their former allies tended to shoot on sight, disappointed and distraught with how things had turned out.

For the moment, they had holed themselves up in an apartment almost too small to fit all seven of them lying down.

They had not been able to scavenge enough medical supplies to treat everyone. They had only managed to find enough bandages to dress Setsuna's worst wound and enough painkillers for Ami to not whimper in pain every time she took a breath.

Ami refused to take all of them, though; some she insisted go to Minako.

"You should have said something," she said, frowning.

The others turned to stare at Minako, who shrugged.

"Accra hasn't stopped trying to summon me with her pull." The pain in her chest had grown over the months and had finally started to really affect her. It was hard to breathe. She kept waking up in the middle of the night as pain would randomly shoot through her ribs. Accra did not want to kill her, but it seemed that she was fine with torturing her.

The others were not in as much pain as Ami and Minako were, but they had lost enough blood that they looked dangerously pale. Combined with their injuries from the fight at the Kabuki-za, only Hotaru was anywhere near good health.

She had therefore been the one chosen to stealthily make her way around the city and collect information.

There was not much information to collect.

"Accra and Hamilton have not made an appearance since the fog rolled in," she said. "I believe they will simply wait for Tokyo to implode."

"This might be the worst situation we've been in yet," Mamoru said.

He was stating the obvious, but nobody wanted to state the logical conclusion.

_We might actually lose_.

Hours passed by and all they could do was stare at the ceiling in silence. They were meant to be asleep, recovering, but their wounds made every position uncomfortable and the thought of impending failure at the forefront of their minds made it impossible to simply drift away.

As evening fell, exhaustion began to sap at their consciousness and almost all were on the verge of sleep.

"We haven't lost yet," Usagi suddenly said, breaking the hush that had fallen over them. "As long as at least one of us is alive, we still have a chance." She quickly glanced at Minako and Hotaru in turn.

The reason for Accra's insistence on keeping her promises to Neptune and Venus remained a mystery, but that along with the sword was their only spark of hope – and who were they to question either?

Rei's voice drifted upwards. "You're right. We haven't lost yet and if we're going to lose to anyone, it won't be to the likes of them."

"Tomorrow," Minako said. She reached out, took Usagi's hand in hers, and held it tightly. "We're going to end it."

* * *

_Centuries ago_

Several galaxies away from the Milky Way, the senior line of House Massalia ruled over a planet.

Until one day a plague abruptly destroyed said senior line. Some said it was simply misfortune. Others said it was due to inbreeding. Their genes had no variety, no defense against illness. Most, however, thought that the junior line of House Massalia had unleashed a super-virus on them, and had cleared the path toward becoming the planetary lords.

Those who believed this dared not say so aloud, for the junior line of House Massalia was vindictive and cruel. They were cruel to friends, crueler to strangers, and crueler still to their own family members. It was kill or be killed. If you could not survive amongst your own, how could you survive in the wilderness? So went the reasoning. But the eldest children of each generation were exempt from this rule. These children were to be the heirs; to touch them was to commit treason of the highest order.

On a cold and windy night a female child was born to the junior line of House Massalia. This female child was named Plattezek, or lesser child. This child, already unfortunate enough to have been born into the cruelest family known to any sentient being, also had the misfortune to have an older sister. This older sister seemed perfect in all ways. She was beautiful, smart, ambitious, and most importantly, crueler than any other member of Massalia. The tortures she visited upon her younger sister are too numerous to describe. Plattezek remembered most of her childhood as a blur of pain as her elder sister, Hokzek, used her to test the boundaries of the body and psyche.

Plattezek's great-grandmother kept her alive. She reminded Hokzek on a near-daily basis that children were not to be killed. How could you judge whether someone was worthy of survival when they had not even had a chance to learn survival skills? Plattezek was grateful to this very old relative of hers. She was sure she would have died had it not been for her.

It was only when she entered adolescence that her great-grandmother withdrew her watchful eye. "Plattezek. Whether you survive, or whether you die, is now entirely up to you. If you remain alive past your sister's machinations, I promise you I will reward you."

Plattezek's sole stroke of fortune in her early life was that right when she became fair game, Hokzek grew occupied. This gave Plattezek the chance to train her body and increase her knowledge and try to run a chance of survival.

Some part of Hokzek's cruelty must have come from her progenitors. The Lord and Lady who ruled over the planet did so with no regards to the health and wellbeing of their peasants. They treated them as slaves, and waved away the resentment that Hokzek could see was building amongst their servants. Doubtful enough that their palace servants would rise against them at all; and if they did so, how could they hurt the Lord and Lady, who were so much more powerful than they?

Where the Lord and Lady saw nothing but a nuisance, Hokzek saw an opportunity.

She met with the palace servants in hidden away corners of the castle. She met with the peasants after dark in barely-lighted taverns. She met with them, and spoke with them, and roused them up, and led the revolution, and in the end she was the one to behead her own mother and father while they slept.

The idiots, Plattezek thought. As if Hokzek would be any more lenient than the former Lord and Lady were.

But perhaps the people tended to have cruel masters because they themselves were cruel. Hokzek had been the one to murder her parents. The people felt dissatisfied. They demanded that they have a chance to draw Massalian blood as well.

Plattezek should not have been surprised when Hokzek bound her and threw her to the crowd.

She was bludgeoned and stabbed and shot. All manners of things were done to her, worse even than what Hokzek had done to her in her childhood, and when they were done they threw her into a shallow ditch where they expected her to die, if she were not already dead.

But she was alive.

She had survived, where others most assuredly would not have.

She was an exemplary Massalian. Her great-grandmother told her as much, when she found her in the ditch.

"I never liked that Hokzek, anyway," her great-grandmother said. "I always know just what she's going to do. You, on the other hand. I see potential in you." With that, she laid her hands on Plattezek's head and bestowed upon her the gift of House Massalia.

This gift was one of immortality – of a sort. When a Massalian with the gift made a promise, they were granted an extra month of life. Neither injury nor illness nor age could take away that extra month. However, if he or she broke a promise, five years were taken off.

This gift was passed down to the eldest child of every third generation of Massalian, both senior line and junior line, before the former had been exterminated. By rights it should have gone to Hokzek and when Hokzek discovered what her great-grandmother had done, she had her immediately executed. Plattezek stayed on the planet long enough to see the deed done before she fled the planet.

"I promise you," she vowed to her great-grandmother's spirit, "If I return here and Hokzek is still alive, I will kill her with my bare hands."

* * *

Plattezek spent twenty years on the first planet she landed on.

There she spent most of her time studying. Before she had left her home planet, Plattezek had taken with her tissue samples of the senior line of House Massalia. What could have eliminated them all so easily and quickly puzzled her until she discovered it was a virus specifically keyed to a section of DNA common to all senior line Massalians.

Plattezek could only assume that Hokzek was the one who had come up with something so diabolic as this, for the Lord and Lady, though evil, were not quite so clever.

But Plattezek was.

She took the virus and spent another twenty years modifying it until she had turned it into a brainwash fluid.

She took over her first planet almost too easily. The second planet she gained power over put up some resistance, but soon they, too, fell by the wayside. Idly she wondered if making the members of House Massalia so cruel to their own family members was nature's way of keeping them in control. She was powerful, so powerful that only another Massalian would be able to stop her in a battle, and with her brainwash fluid, she was invincible.

She had expanded her empire to a dozen planets when she decided to return to her home.

* * *

Hokzek was long dead. Several centuries had passed and on her return Plattezek found Hokzek's great-grandchild sitting on the throne. This great-great-great-grandchild was named Hoklow. Hoklow looked unconcerned when he greeted her, even after she told him who she was and why she was here.

"Since I can't kill Hokzek," Plattezek said, "I feel like I must kill you."

"You only promised to kill Hokzek if she were still alive," Hoklow said. "You're not obligated to do anything, now. Leave me in peace."

He was right, she thought. She had grown far too used to interpreting her promises as widely as possible, having been dinged at least a couple of times when she had broken one without even realizing it.

Still, there was something about Hoklow that did not sit right with her. Was it the arrogant smile? Was it the too-perfectly maintained hair? Was it how the palace was utterly clean though there seemed to be not a soul in the building other than Hoklow?

All three disturbed her, but the last one seemed especially wrong.

"Where," she asked, "Are your servants?"

He shrugged. "I don't want to see or hear them."

"And if you do…"

He smiled. "That's why the torture chambers exist."

Hokzek had clearly had great success in passing down her cruelty genes, Plattezek reflected.

"By the way. There's something that you have that rightfully belongs to me." Hoklow stood and Plattezek realized he must have just recently come of age. He was still fairly short and his chest and shoulders had yet to fully broaden. Where were his parents? They ought to still be the rulers.

"The gift. I want it. It should have been Hokzek's."

"Too bad she was such a little bitch," Plattezek spat out.

And that was the start of their long centuries of battle. Personal battles between them were long, protracted, and far too painful for Plattezek's liking, bringing back her childhood trauma. She waged war against him through other means. Hoklow tried to expand his empire by conquering planets. She followed him, planet by planet. He would spend decades establishing his rule, then she would spend just a few years seizing power from him in turn.

* * *

_A few years ago_

She followed him all the way to Earth. The time between his takeover and her seizure of power had been dramatically shortened as he grew better at taking power more quickly. But she grew tired of this war and decided this was where she would finally kill him. She first landed in Ghana and discovered that she actually liked the inhabitants of this planet, a rare occurrence. She took the name Accra and was only a little dismayed to find that Hoklow had had the same idea as she did. He had taken the name Hamilton, his landing site having been Bermuda.

They were far too similar in many ways. There could only be one ruler of the Massalian Empire.

And it would be her.

* * *

_A few months ago_

The Sailor Senshi caused her real pain and were taking up the time she had intended to spend defeating Hamilton. She got Neptune and Venus to side with her in turn but she knew they would always be halfhearted in their fights against Hamilton's Uranus and Jupiter.

She decided she would try to make amends with Lord Hamilton – or she'd fake it, anyway, until at least some of the Sailor Senshi were killed.

Hamilton, however, offered her an alliance before she could make the offer.

"We are family. We ought to get along. I will claim you as my sister, gladly, if you will grant me the honour."

"I accept."

She lent him a few batches of her brainwash serum and was moderately impressed with the uses he put it to. When she saw Venus kill Uranus, Neptune, and Jupiter, Accra thought Hamilton might have his uses after all. She had planned to kill him after Uranus and Jupiter were neutralized. She decided instead to wait and see how the rest of his plans unfolded. He might be able to kill the rest of the Sailor Senshi and seize control over the planet. Then she would kill him, and take power for herself, without having had to do very much at all.

Yes. This seemed like an ideal course of events.

* * *

_Now_

"The Skytree Tower? Really, Sailor Senshi?" Hamilton landed in front of them, arms across his chest, chin lifted arrogantly. "The only more clichéd place you could have chosen was Tokyo Tower…maybe the Rainbow Bridge."

"You found us, didn't you?" Venus asked.

"Are you sure you want to do this in the state you are in?" He looked at them each in turn, let his eyes rest on their still-visible wounds. "I wish you'd at least wait until you've recovered. This will not be interesting at all."

"The longer we wait, the more people die, right?" Sailor Moon shook her head. "We can't wait."

"As you wish." He pulled out a remote and pressed a button. The ground beneath them exploded, sending them flying in every which direction. The Skytree Tower swayed back and forth as the ground shook.

Hamilton watched it critically. "That thing really is earthquake proof. Oh well." He honed in on Sailor Venus and fired a beam of energy at her. She had just managed to get to her feet and had to throw herself to the ground again to avoid the beam.

"Where's Accra?" she demanded. "You can't fight all of us at once." She fired her own beam back at him.

He stepped aside but the beam curved after him and caught him in his chest. He stumbled backward, his eyebrows raised in surprise. With a push of his hands he sent a wind gale back at her, sending her end over end until she crashed into a building.

"I don't know where she is," he spat out. "That woman is a flake." He turned around and fired blasts at Mars and Pluto, who had tried to jump him from behind. "Anyway," his hands shot in the air and two large pieces of cement crashed into Sailor Moon and Sailor Saturn, "I can certainly fight you all at once." He fired a laser at Tuxedo Mask. He tried to dodge it up but just as Venus's beam had, it curved to follow after him.

Sailor Mercury had been off to the side, standing quiet and still, focusing on her attack. When it was ready she spread her hands out and a block of ice formed around Hamilton's head. He moved his hands to free himself but found his arms bound by Saturn's ribbons. Venus had recovered and was now dashing toward him, sword in hand, end pointed directly at his chest. Just as he managed to break free of the ribbons and melt the block of ice she ran him through. He coughed and spat out blood as Venus pulled the blade out and ran him through again. His eyes widened, his pupils dilating to tiny pinpoints. He grabbed her hands and squeezed. Venus tried to pull away but could not escape; his grip was too strong – he pressed harder until he heard bones crack. She was forced to release her grip and as she let go he grabbed the hilt of the sword and pulled it free.

"Ouch!" As soon as the sword was out he dropped it, kicked it away, and looked at his palms. The skin had peeled off, leaving behind angry blisters. He sucked in a breath as he tried to clear his vision. The blood would not stop leaking from his stab wounds anytime soon, clearly. He placed his hands against his chest and quickly cauterized the wounds. The scars left behind were stark white.

He narrowed his eyes.

"I have _never_ been so disfigured," he hissed.

Sailor Venus was running to where he had kicked the sword. Fine, she could wait. He turned his gaze to the rest of them. He pulled his shirt off, tied his hair back, and rubbed his hands together.

And waited.

They all rushed him at once, magical attacks flying at him. They had improved, clearly, as their attacks hurt much more than they had when he had first been subject to them, but still he bore them easily. The pavement beneath him cracked as he sunk his feet in to stand his ground. They were getting closer now, the intensity of their attacks growing. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and held his cane out.

"Reverse," he said. Their attacks suddenly turned on them and he smiled as he heard their shouts of surprise and screams of pain. He snapped his eyes open, absorbed their new positions on the battlefield, and dashed forward. He grabbed Tuxedo Mask and hurled him into the sky. He turned, his leg swinging outward, catching Sailor Moon's sternum with a satisfying crack. He ducked as an attack flew over him, spun, and slammed his elbow into Sailor Mercury's nose. As she collapsed to her knees he batted away another attack, dashed forward, hoisted Sailor Mars upside down, and slammed her headfirst into the cement below. He let an attack from Sailor Pluto hit him so he could get close enough to her; his hand shot upward and pushed her jaw upward and back. He turned, aimed his fingers forward and fired a laser beam so concentrated it pierced right through Sailor Saturn's abdomen.

Tuxedo Mask was finally returning to earth; Hamilton stiff-armed his throat a metre before he hit the ground.

Then he felt that same arm get sliced cleanly off.

In his shock he barely managed to duck in time to avoid having his head suffer the same fate. He charged forward, catching Sailor Venus in a headlock. She stumbled back but refused to be shaken off. She wrapped her elbows around his head and held on as he forced her to crash into a wall. As she let go she let the sword sing downwards and Hamilton winced as it sliced a deep gash into his shoulder. He jumped backward to avoid another downward slice and his eyes widened when he saw the Sailor Venus had taped the sword to her hand, forcing her grip even though her fingers were broken.

In his plans he had made sure to include Sailor Venus as a considerable threat. He realized he had somehow managed to underestimate her, anyway. Now he was forced to turn to his backup plan. He hadn't really wanted to do this; knew that the chain of events that would follow might not go exactly in his favour – but it was his only choice, now.

"Since Accra isn't here to stop me," he gasped out, "There's something I've been meaning to do."

Hamilton fired something from a small gun. Almost simultaneously Venus cursed as she felt something stab her arm. She straightened her arm and stared at the needle sticking out of her inner elbow, for a moment. The syringe was almost empty; most of the contents already drained into her bloodstream.

She grabbed the syringe, ripped it out, and stepped forward, until her face was inches from Hamilton's.

"Do you think some brainwash juice is going to work on me? I'm Sailor fucking Venus!" She threw the syringe at him.

"Sailor fucking Venus, hmm?" He smiled. "I can see why Accra liked you. I'll be sorry to tell her of your demise. For you see, I know exactly what kind of person you are, which is why it took me so long to whip up this batch. It has double the potency of what I gave Uranus and Jupiter."

He stepped back. "They lasted four hours. How long will you last, I wonder?" He shook his head. "But I must take my leave. Sailor Venus, you really should not have chopped my arm off." He spared a dismal glance at the lifeless limb. "Remember this for later: Kill Sailor Moon."

* * *

Her hands twitched.

Kill Sailor Moon.

The thought whispered through her mind like the rustle of leaves on an autumn wind. The three words were ever-present if she listened for them, almost unnoticeable if she didn't.

Almost.

Shit. They had not even had the chance to go all out before Hamilton had hit her with that damned needle. Their attack had totally, utterly failed.

She did not have much time left, she knew. Five hours had passed already and even she, Sailor fucking Venus, would fall under the trance eventually. Soon. She leaned her head back and stared up at the night sky. The yellow fog already did much to obscure the stars; that night, a few clouds had rolled in and made them entirely invisible.

Sailor Venus of the light was going to die under a canopy of darkness.

It was too awful, she thought.

She slid to the ground and wrapped her arms around her knees. They had moved to a sheltered place and there had tried to treat their wounds as best as possible. A damaged windpipe, a broken sternum, a broken nose, a concussion, a broken jaw, damaged internal organs. And as for her – well, there was no point in treating her injuries, she thought. She had tried to refuse painkillers, even, but Sailor Mercury forced them down her throat, and the pain radiating up her arms dimmed.

When they had finished patching up they surrounded her and stared at the ground or at the sky in utter silence. They ought to be sleeping, she thought, they should be trying to heal. But they're here with me, instead, waiting for me to die.

It was too silent. Someone had to say something, anything.

Final words.

"Sailor Pluto," she said. Sailor Pluto raised her head slightly. "The only thing that I can give you is my thanks. Thank you for all the times you've helped us, for all the times you've helped me. Please look after everyone."

Pluto nodded slightly.

Sailor Moon moved to Venus's side and fell to her knees. "Venus, what are you saying? You're not going to..." Venus avoided Sailor Moon's eyes but she cringed anyway as she heard the sniffles start. "I believe in you."

Kill Sailor Moon.

She staggered to her feet and pulled away from Sailor Moon, who stretched her hands out after her. She distanced herself a few steps further.

"Sailor Saturn, thank you for accompanying me on so many of my less than safe investigations." She could almost see the question burgeoning on Pluto's lips. "Of which there were many. Please look after the little princess."

Saturn nodded.

"Sailor Mercury, Sailor Mars, you two…" She hesitated, cast about, tried to find the words. "I don't know what to say. I can only hope my feelings reach you." She paused and felt tears form in her own eyes at the sight of those streaming down her friends' cheeks. "But of course, I have something to ask of you two." She pulled a piece of paper from her bodice. "If the government frees my assets, I entrust you two with all my wealth. Support this one," she jerked her thumb at Sailor Moon, "and my parents indefinitely. Plus," here she pulled out another paper, "I created a trust that will cover damages to the city. When this is over, please get started on this before we get sued. A pre-emptive move will look much better."

"Also, I give you two all my song rights. Most of the songs for my fourth album are in post-production. Please finish them."

She smiled at Mars and Mercury's shocked looks before turning to face Tuxedo Mask. "Tuxedo Mask," she said, "Remember what we spoke about? You must not die. There must be one. There must at least be one. Promise me."

He nodded and mouthed the words 'I promise'.

"Finally, Sailor Moon…Usagi-chan…Please look after Artemis…and…I'm sorry," she said, and she finally felt the tears spill over. "It wasn't supposed to be this way. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."

"Minako…"

Her voice, her eyes, the feelings of despair she fairly exuded, triggered something in Venus.

A murderous instinct.

She backed away. "Everyone…this is it. Please tell mama and papa I'm sorry. I wasn't really the best child and they both worked so hard. And tell Artemis that I will always love him."

Kill Sailor Moon.

* * *

She lifted the arm holding the sword and shifted so that she faced Sailor Moon. She had to kill her. She couldn't kill her. But Lord Hamilton was telling her to kill Sailor Moon. She couldn't. She had to. She couldn't. She had to.

She turned the sword on herself. Her hands shook wildly. She had too much drive to survive and had only so much courage. Sailor Venus could not find it in her to kill herself, even though she knew she had to, she had to be stopped, or she would kill Sailor Moon. She knew she could do it. She had watched her friends in countless of battles, had learned their attack patterns by heart, had watched all of the little footage that existed of them until she knew that Sailor Moon acted like a centre of gravity for the Inner Senshi, how the Outer Senshi tended to wait and come in from the edges, how Mars and Jupiter liked to move around, how Mercury and Tuxedo Mask stood their ground.

She'd cut them to ribbons, with this sword, and then she'd kill Sailor Moon.

And that'd be it.

She had to kill herself, but she so desperately wanted to live, she wanted to sell her 10 millionth album, she wanted to see the future, she wanted to be a part of it.

She had to die.

Sorry, I'm so sorry, she thought. She unwrapped the tape from her hand and the hilt and flung the sword away. It slid across the ground, whirling until it came to a stop at Sailor Mars' feet.

"Rei. It turns out I have one more favour to ask of you."

"No," Mars immediately said. "I told you I never want to touch this sword."

"You promised me," Venus said, pulling out a sheet of paper that Mars recognized all too well. "We promised each other."

"Dammit, Minako."

"Do it. Do it now. Please. I would like to at least die as myself."

"Damn it. Damn it." She leaned down and picked the sword up. She hefted the sword experimentally a few times, swung it to get the weight of it, tried to stall.

Minako couldn't blame her. In her position she would do the same. She had to galvanize her friend into action and with the waltz-like beat of _kill Sailor Moon_ in her head, she knew just how.

She faced Sailor Moon, put on her coldest expression, and stepped toward her.

The fog of _kill Sailor Moon_ began to dull her mind. She took another step forward.

She felt a sharp, shooting pain run through her and then she felt nothing at all.

* * *

Blood on white bodice; brilliantly blue eyes, wide open; golden strands of hair fading into vanishing sparks.

No more Minako.

Only a tiara with a garnet stone that broke away from it setting and floated downward to embed itself into the hilt of the sword.

It glowed for a moment, and dimmed.

The tiara dropped to the ground, cracked in two, and disappeared.

Mars waited.

She waited to stop breathing. She waited for the familiar darkness that would ring her vision until her whole world became black. She waited for that feeling of drowning.

Instead what seeped through her was rage. It filled her vision until she could see nothing but her anger. It circulated in her blood until she shook with how it throbbed through her. She felt her temperature climb to levels so high they were dangerous even to herself, maybe her blood was literally boiling, she didn't care.

A scream ripped from her throat. Her hold on the sword tightened and she smashed it against the corner of the brick building, again and again, until sparks began to fly. She was going to break this sword, this hated thing, but it refused to snap or bend at all, maybe she had managed to dull the edge. She felt the blade with her finger and cursed when she pricked herself.

"Sailor Mars, Sailor Mars." She vaguely realized that Saturn had been calling her name out for the past several minutes at least. She turned around and saw her friends' faces etched with concern.

Sailor Moon reached out and pulled her in for a hug. "Rei, calm down. It's okay."

How could she possibly calm down, she thought. If she calmed down, she'd fall apart completely, she'd start to cry and she would never stop. She drew away from Sailor Moon and closed her eyes.

Sailor Venus had killed three of their friends. Sailor Venus had dealt with the horrifying past two months and that guilt hanging over her head with grace and strength. Sailor Mars opened her eyes. She would do the same.

She walked over to where Minako had last been. There remained the belt for the sword, a chain of circular golden plates with a white sheath trimmed with golden ornaments. She grabbed the belt, tied it at her waist, and put the sword in its rightful place.

She looked up and noticed the rest were still looking at her with wide eyes and stricken expressions.

"Let's go."

* * *

That night she had the dream again. The dream of a Tokyo destroyed, of herself, Tuxedo Mask, Mercury, Pluto, and Saturn dying. When she woke up, she reflected on her dream, and she reflected about what had happened, and she thought: one of these things is not like the other.

They had moved locations, again; this time they were in an abandoned townhouse Mamoru somehow knew about. The townhouse, like most other buildings, had been structurally damaged and what had once been a two-floor house now had only one, the stairs entirely blocked off.

She'd have to be quiet. She crept past the others, still sleeping, and loomed over Setsuna's form. She waited patiently until Setsuna opened one eye.

"I knew you weren't asleep."

"I knew you would know I wasn't asleep."

Rei quirked a smile. "Of course." The smile dropped. "We need to talk."

Setsuna led her to the structurally unsound rooftop, where Mercury and Saturn had planted themselves for their guard shift.

"It is time for us to relieve you," Setsuna said, and though it was a blatant lie neither Mercury nor Saturn questioned it. Pluto and Mars took their places and sat on the rooftop, arms wrapped around knees, heads tilted upward to look at the sky.

The clouds had cleared up and with most of Tokyo's power gone the sky ought to have been brilliant. The yellow fog left them only with the sight of the moon accompanied by a smattering of stars.

"My dream," Mars said, "Or nightmare, rather…Is not coming to fruition."

"I am given to understand that your prophetic visions do not always come to fruition. Are they not more like worst-case scenarios?"

She glanced at Pluto. "You know something."

"I do," she said, and she remained infuriatingly silent.

Mars sighed. "What can you tell me?"

"I can only tell you that when the time comes, everyone will do what is necessary."

What is necessary. She saw flashes of red, blue, and yellow.

"But it occurs to me that I am speaking to Sailor Mars," Pluto continued, "And so I feel the need to add that it is not always necessary to take the most drastic option."

"Care to be a little more specific?"

"Not really." Pluto smiled. Mars rolled her eyes. "There is one more thing that I must tell you, though I am not really supposed to."

"Okay…"

"You need to remember this sentence: 'Power has she who fights against gods.'"

"I'll remember it. Who could forget something so pompous sounding?" She paused and narrowed her eyes. "And why do I have to remember it? Because you're not going to be around to tell us when we need it?"

"No, I'll be around," Sailor Pluto reassured her.

"In what sense of 'I', 'be', and 'around'?"

Sailor Pluto shrugged. Sailor Mars frowned. Sometimes talking to Setsuna was like talking to Minako – she shook her head. Anyway it was difficult to make any headway, but she supposed she ought to be grateful for the little morsels of information Pluto had bestowed her with.

* * *

"I heard Sailor Venus is dead," Accra commented. She and Hamilton stood atop Skytree Tower. Accra cast an eye toward the damage on the ground. All Hamilton's doing, just as Sailor Venus's death was.

"Did you?" This high up, the wind was strong, and it buffeted Hamilton's hair about his face, obscuring it from Accra's sight.

"I heard you killed her."

"I did no such thing," he immediately replied.

"You are nothing but a bastard after all," Accra said.

"Am I to assume you are finished with our alliance?"

Accra remained silent, for a long stretch of time, before she finally shook her head.

"You did not explicitly break the terms of our agreement, much as I hate to admit it." She reached over, grabbed his chin, and forced him to look at her. "However. Do NOT touch Sailor Saturn, or I will kill you myself."

"Understood," he said.

* * *

The following night Sailor Moon and Sailor Mars were on guard duty. They had not left the townhouse, choosing to stay in one spot in a bid to not make their injuries any worse.

An awkward silence stretched out between them. Why did Usagi have to look so similar to Minako? It made her sick to catch glimpses of her in her peripheral vision. She shuffled until she was facing the other direction entirely.

"How's your head?" Sailor Moon asked, her voice soft.

It hurts like crazy. "Fine. How's your arm?"

"It hurts like crazy."

Sailor Mars cracked a smile. They continued to sit in silence, but at least it was a little less awkward. She felt Sailor Moon shiver beside her. Wordlessly she moved so that her back was against Sailor Moon's. She let her body temperature climb. She'd normally light a fire, but it would bring attention to them far too quickly in this Tokyo without any power.

"Do you think Minako died happy?" Sailor Moon paused. "At least, not unhappy?" she corrected herself.

Nobody who didn't even get to reach age thirty could die 'not unhappy'.

"She accomplished a lot," Sailor Mars said instead.

"But she said it wasn't supposed to be this way."

"That's because she was supposed to kill at least one of them before dying." Minako had never told her this but as soon as she said the words, she knew it was the truth.

"But she knew it had to be done," she continued, "Or she would have killed you and probably all of us." She surprised herself when she finished: "All things considered, yeah, maybe she did die 'not unhappy'. She gave us instructions for the future, so, she must have believed that we'll win in the end."

"Because we will," Sailor Moon quickly added.

"Definitely."

Silence stretched out again as Mars distracted herself with thoughts of record albums. She didn't know a thing about post-production. Maybe she'd leave that part to Ami and take care of the money part. Sadly she realized it would probably be best to invest in construction companies that would surely face a post-war boom.

Sailor Moon's voice shook her out of her train of thought. "And…um…what about you? Are you feeling okay?"

"No. I lied when I said my head felt fine," she said. "I'm getting some really bad headaches from that concussion."

She could feel Sailor Moon's back move against her own as she let out an exasperated sigh.

"That's not what I meant."

"I don't really want to talk about it."

"Fine."

The disappointment in her voice forced Mars to speak.

"I'm never going to get over killing my friend, Usagi," Mars said, "This isn't something I can ever be okay with. And I know that. So I can deal with it. But I…" She hesitated. She shouldn't admit this. She'd make the other woman nervous. Still the constant refrains of 'I wish you'd be more honest' she'd been subjected to forced her to press on. "I'm just…I'm just scared. I mean, this is _Sailor V_ we're talking about, and she died!"

"Don't think poorly of me," Sailor Moon said, "But I'm kind of happy to hear that you're scared. The rest of you seem so put together. I thought I was the only one. At least now we can be scared together."

It was ridiculous, Sailor Mars thought, the things that made her feel better.

* * *

Pluto and Saturn had a conversation as well, later that night, after they relieved Sailor Moon and Sailor Mars from guard duty.

They sat quietly side by side for a long time. Saturn knew Pluto had something to say, and waited patiently. The sky was just beginning to show streaks of dawn when Pluto finally spoke.

"Hotaru. Tonight, you must make a decision. Hamilton has requested an audience with us."

Saturn unraveled herself and stood up straight. She leveled a gaze at Pluto, a serious look that told her mother she was more than prepared.

Their futures came down to this.

"But Setsuna-mama…I can't decide such a thing for both of us."

"I do not mean to place such a weight on you. Still, I defer to you." She turned to face away from her daughter. "Because the thing I want most is to see you happy. But I know you'll only be truly happy if you can make the choices that affect your life.

"I can tell you only one thing. If we go, we will not be brainwashed, but we will both suffer greatly. If we don't go…" She hesitated, unsure of how to word the outcome she had seen flashes of.

Her hesitation alone told Hotaru all she needed to know to make her choice.

* * *

"Will you please just trust me?"

The follow night the Sailor Senshi had finally left the townhouse to follow Sailor Pluto to a formerly-bustling shopping district. With the war and the fog the district had been emptied out. Buildings were nothing but dilapidated shells adorned with bullets, shattered windows, and busted doors. Decaying corpses lay about. Some of them had obviously been killed by force; others, nearly-pristine, had died of the poison.

"It's not that we don't trust you," Sailor Moon said.

"It's just that this place is kind of really awful," Tuxedo Mask finished.

"Please wait just a few more minutes." Sailor Saturn scanned the area continuously, waiting for…something. "We have received a power upgrade."

The mind boggled. "_You two_ did?" Sailor Mars looked appalled. "So you're what, immortal now?"

Sailor Pluto smiled. "Not quite."

"Who did you get the power upgrade from?" Sailor Mercury's voice was laden with suspicion.

Sailor Saturn ignored Mercury's question. "We need the rest of you to distract Accra when she gets here."

Just as Saturn finished her sentence Accra appeared. She looked surprised to see them there.

"I didn't expect you to have recovered yet," she said. She raised her hand and aimed.

Sailor Mars and Mercury leapt into action, their attacks joining together. It whirled toward Accra, who batted it aside, but she could not avoid Sailor Moon's attack that immediately followed. She grimaced and fought her way through the beam. Sailor Moon refused to let up until Accra reached her and kicked her in the stomach, sending her flying backward. Accra followed after her only for Tuxedo Mask to step in her path.

"Wait, Accra." He held his hands up. "I mean no harm to you. But there's something I must speak to you about. Urgently."

Accra raised an eyebrow.

"Hamilton…" He paused. She leaned forward. "Has better hair than you," he finished.

"What?!" she shrieked. Her fist shot forward and he stumbled backward, cradling a broken nose. She stepped forward to follow up but her path was stopped by Sailor Saturn and Sailor Pluto. Saturn brought her glaive down, the butt hitting the ground.

"Silence Wall," she said, and a forcefield formed over and around the three of them.

Accra immediately began to attack the forcefield, trying to break it down. The tip of Pluto's staff touched the forcefield. "Infinity." The wall glowed brighter.

"Age and Reverse," Sailor Saturn intoned, just as Pluto said: "Time Loop".

And a very strange sight unfolded before the Sailor Senshi's eyes. Openmouthed they watched as Accra, Sailor Pluto, and Sailor Saturn rapidly aged until they looked alarmingly decrepit – and then they rapidly aged backward, until they were newborns – and then they aged again…

"Kami-sama…" Mercury dropped to her knees. "This is…"

"An infinite time loop." Tuxedo Mask tapped his cane against the wall.

"If this is what they chose to do with their powers," Mercury said, "Then Accra must be immortal." She watched the time loop unfold for a few more seconds before she looked away. The sight was too disturbing. "This is the only way to stop her indefinitely."

"Indefinitely…" Sailor Moon raised her wand. Sailor Mars put a hand on her arm to lower it.

"Don't," Sailor Mars said. "This is what they decided."

"But they're stuck in there forever!"

"But they're alive!" Sailor Mars said. She took a few steps to stand next to Tuxedo Mask and lightly knocked her fist against the wall. It felt utterly solid. She wasn't too convinced of her next statement. "We'll find a way to kill Accra, and then we'll get them out of there." She turned to face her three remaining comrades. "For now, we've got to get Hamilton."

* * *

"Welcome to open season on the remaining Sailor Senshi," Hamilton said. "Get me Sailor Mercury or Sailor Mars' head and I will lift the fog. Get me Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask's heads and I will leave Tokyo alone completely."

The news quickly spread through Tokyo, reaching even the ears of said Sailor Senshi. They had been jumping from roof to roof, trying to find an empty, hidden place to stay for the night, when they caught their names being spoken. They peeked over the edge of the building and exchanged looks of dread when they saw the armed mob on the street below, surrounding a pile of Sailor Senshi memorabilia. One of the men dropped a match on the pile and it burst into flames.

"They're not our protectors anymore," the man said. "The only thing they can do for us now is die. Remember what Hamilton said."

He repeated Hamilton's words and with that the Sailor Senshi quickly took their leave. They found refuge in the top floor of a very tall building whose stairs and elevator shaft had been destroyed. It was unreachable to any person without superpowers.

"Do you think maybe we need an appearance change?" Ami suggested.

"Hair dye would be really helpful," Rei said, eyeing Usagi and Ami in turn. At least she had the decency to have plain black hair.

"So would color contacts, Miss purple eyes," Usagi said.

"Whatever. Let's get chopping." She reached a hand out to Mamoru, who reluctantly gave her his Swiss Army knife. She pulled her hair back and lifted the knife.

A few long beats passed.

"Do not be alarmed if I cry," she said, and she chopped off several feet of her hair, leaving it at just below her chin. She stared at the pile left on the floor and her lip only trembled a little bit. Her hair had gotten brittle anyway, she rationalized. "You don't have to cut your hair," she said, turning to Usagi. "Use your disguise pen."

"That only lasts so long." She shook her head when she was offered the knife. "There's no way I can do it though. You do it." She let her hair down, turned and waited.

"No way!" Appalled, Rei tried to pass the knife off to Mamoru and Ami. Both refused.

"It'll grow back. Cut it super-short, like Haruka's. Maybe I'll finally look cool."

Rei looked pained as she watched the blonde hair fall away. "Where are your Sailor Moon hair ornaments going to go?" she pondered. "Also, I'm cutting your hair with a knife. Don't expect greatness, here."

They did, eventually, find hair dye, and brunet Mamoru, brunette Rei, black-haired Usagi and black-haired Ami were born.

Now unrecognizable, they managed to lie low for almost a week. They foraged for food and water only when absolutely necessary.

They were running out of disinfectant, however, and Ami and Mamoru both agreed that with the amount of injuries they tended to get it was absolutely necessary. They ventured through supermarkets and pharmacies but the stores they ran across had been completely wiped out. They broke into houses and there managed to scrounge up a few bottles of alcohol.

Midway through their exit from a house they heard a voice call out: "Mizuno-sensei, Chiba-sensei!"

And by instinct Ami and Mamoru turned toward the voice.

They froze.

The person who had called out their names, a colleague of theirs from Tokyo U Hospital, gasped.

They stared at each other for a few tense seconds.

"Holy shit…I found them!"

"Run!" Mamoru yelled, though there was hardly a need for him to do so as a mob of people bore down on them. Bullets zipped by them as they dashed through the streets of Tokyo. The commotion drew the attention of others and more people joined the trial after them. People appeared ahead of them as well, and the Sailor Senshi quickly realized they were about to get trapped.

"Since we've been found out anyway…" They transformed and were about to leap up onto the nearest building when they noticed that people had rushed to the roof as well.

Their usual escape route having been blocked off, they were left with no choice but to stand their ground and fight. Sailor Mercury and Sailor Mars flanked Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask and raised their hands.

"Stop! Don't hurt us." Sailor Moon's voice carried clearly across the nearby area, reaching the ears of every last person after them. "Please don't. You can't kill Hamilton. The military can't kill Hamilton. We haven't managed it yet, but we are the only ones who can. I don't mean to sound arrogant or anything, but you've seen it yourself. We're the only ones who have managed to hurt him at all. If you kill us, it's over."

For a moment, the crowd was still.

"It's over anyway," a woman near the front said. Barrels clicked into place.

"I don't think you understand," Sailor Mars said, her voice low and cold but just as easily heard as Sailor Moon's had been. "We can kill Hamilton. You cannot. Do you understand the difference, here? Let me make it clear. You can't hurt us. We'll kill you, first."

"Rei – "

"Sorry, Usagi. This is self-defense." She thrust her hands forward, fingers spread out. "So? Go ahead. Try to hurt us."

"Fuck you! You can't bring our dead kids back."

Bullets hurled toward them and the crowd at the front pressed forward with all manner of weaponry. Mars hurled up a wall of fire that pushed the mob back and melted the bullets on contact. As the shooting stopped she let the wall drop.

"Do you get it now? We don't actually want to hurt you. So just let us walk."

"Sailor Mars, it seems like you're the only one who'll actually harm us."

A blast of ice fired at the man who had just spoken proved him wrong. He scrambled back to his feet.

"It's just a bit of fire and ice, people. Get them!"

Sailor Mars put her wall up again but people dashed through it, seemingly uncaring about the numerous burns they gained as a result, some of them dying on the spot, their skin charred and peeled away, a sight so horrifying that Mars immediately let the wall drop, only to regret it as bullets narrowly missed her. A wall of ice went up instead, which people could not get through, but inside the Senshi were shivering and outside the bullets were cracking the ice, long lines running across the surface. It would break very soon.

"Shit. What are we going to do?" Mars watched the distorted faces of their opponents on the other side of the ice wall, watched as they banged their fists against it, trying to speed its breakdown.

"What _I_ am going to do is stall them," Mercury said. "What _you_ are going to do is run."

"What – "

"Run."

The wall shattered, the ground underneath them became ice, and a white fog filled the area; Sailor Mars blasted a path clear through the crowd, tried to ignore the screams, and ran. Sailor Moon followed on her heels, Tuxedo Mask running behind her, Sailor Mercury last on the trail as she put up wall after wall of ice. The crowd had been large to begin with; a smaller but still-large mob doggedly continued to chase after them.

"Give me your disguise pen."

Sailor Moon passed her pen over the Sailor Mercury, who shouted: "Turn me into Sailor Moon!"

The coloring was a bit off but with the fog and her similar build she passed for Sailor Moon fairly well.

"This way, Sailor Moon!" Tuxedo Mask shouted, and he cast his cape over Sailor Mercury to usher her in one direction as Sailor Mars shoved Sailor Moon in the other.

"Wait – "

"They'll be fine," Mars hastily said, "They're smart, they'll find a way back to us. We're the ones who are too stupid to do anything but fight or run. So run!"

They ran for at least an hour, jumping onto roofs, crossing over streets, turning every corner imaginable, dropping their transformations halfway through, until they were sure they had lost the few who had decided to chase after them instead of after "Sailor Moon" and Tuxedo Mask.

Exhausted, they dropped to their hands and knees, and struggled to catch their breaths. Usagi pulled out her communicator and let out a sigh of relief when she saw Ami's face.

"Where are you?"

"Arakawa."

Ami frowned. "We're in Meguro." She glanced at the sky. "Let's rest for now and meet up tomorrow."

Usagi readily agreed. She was utterly worn out and thought she would pass out as soon as they found someplace safe to stay.

* * *

But sleep was harder to find than she had expected.

That night they broke into a flower shop and took shelter among the leaves, trying hard not to disturb anything, not to be noticed. They didn't dare turn on the lights, if the lights would even get power. They spoke only in soft tones, and rarely. They sat side by side, leaning against the cashier counter, staring at the door, at the windows. There were too many of them, anybody could break in here easily as they had, but who would come to look for flowers, now? They banked on it, agreed that everyone would be raiding homes or department stores or grocers.

Who would seek out flora at a time like this?

They knew who but neither dared say the name, didn't dare think it, even as an image of bright green eyes, a high brown ponytail and an easy smile floated through both their minds.

Then they heard it.

Someone, somewhere in the neighborhood, had found a piano. A piano that was out of tune, a piano whose tone would make any musician wince in pain, but still a piano. It was joined by a scratchy sound, a violin that the person tuned to match the piano, so that the two could play an out-of-tune duet together, an improvised, simple melody with an even simpler harmony.

They exchanged a glance.

Rei was tempted to go find the instruments and smash them to pieces. How dare they play the piano, how dare they even touch the violin?

Sailor Venus' belt glinted in the moonlight.

Haruka, Michiru, Makoto, and Minako, dead. Setsuna and Hotaru stuck in an infinite time loop.

They had been fighting for so long, and then they had been running, and now finally they had been driven into a corner, and with one more ill-timed glance at Usagi, Rei felt her ire disappear. The rage that she had used as the foundation of her stability collapsed under her and she burst into tears just as Usagi did. They muffled their sobs with their hands, mindful of the need to stay quiet despite the losses they felt so deeply they could hardly bear it.

"Oh God, I miss them so much. I'm so…sad. I'm sorry, I'm really, really scared," Usagi said. "They died, I can't believe it, they're gone. I'm going to be left alone again. What would I do…if…" She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths that failed to steady her at all. She pushed through, her voice cracked and wavering as she said: "If you died, too?"

Rei hastily wiped away her tears and moved until she was on her knees in front of Usagi. She grabbed Usagi's hands and pulled her forward, and though she was probably even more scared than Usagi was, she found it in her to firmly say: "They're NOT dead, and I WON'T die."

Even as she said it she could feel the tears stubbornly push through again and slip down her cheeks. She was lying. She could easily die. She really did not want to die again. It hurt, it hurt so much, everything you lived for was torn away from you in the instant of your death, and if it had been bad enough at fourteen and sixteen it would be even worse now, now that she had seen, now that she knew –

Oh god. Was this how Minako had felt, in those final moments before death? They had been thinking about it the wrong way. Minako would not have died happy or unhappy. She would have died resigned to her death, scared for the future, and in deep grief for herself.

Rei sucked in a breath.

"I promise. I won't die."

But Usagi stared back at her, unconvinced.

"How can I trust you? You broke your promise. You broke that exact same promise _twice_."

"I know. I know. I'm so sorry." She pulled back, looked away, closed her eyes, couldn't bear to face her with this confession, but she had to. She looked back at her again, into those blue eyes shaded like the midnight sky under the cast of shadows. "I must have been in love with you for a long time, but I only realized it that second time I died, when Galaxia ripped my Star Seed away and I realized that the worst part wasn't that I was dying, it was that I was dying having broken my promise to you.

"And that's when I knew. And when we came back, I told myself 'Hino Rei, don't you ever break a promise to that girl ever again'. So I won't. Please, believe me. I promise you. I will not die."

"You won't leave me alone?"

"Usagi, haven't you learned by now that you'll never truly be alone?"

"Promise me."

"I promise you. I won't ever leave you alone. I'll do anything for you. I'll even stay alive for you."

* * *

You're lying, she thought. She knew it. Maybe she didn't even know she was lying. Maybe she thought she could promise to stay alive. She would certainly strive to. Rei would fight her hardest to keep them both alive. The Sailor Mars of today would not be felled by two DD girls, would not even be killed by a Galaxia ripping out her heart. Sailor Mars now was older, stronger, more experienced, and somehow even more determined than Sailor Mars the girl had been. She'd dispatch those DD girls in an instant, she'd grab her Star Seed and shove it back into her chest before killing Galaxia with her bare hands.

And yet. Bone, skin, organs. How many times had Sailor Mars broken something, or had her skin torn apart, or had her organs burst? They were Senshi, they healed quickly and thoroughly, yet she had been beaten up so many times and she never had enough time to fully recover, and fine lines of scars appeared in the most damaged areas, her arms, her ribs, her thighs –

They were fragile, fragile, they were only here for a moment, they might be dead the next second –

And by the hunted look in her eyes Usagi could tell that deep inside she was thinking the exact same thing, she was thinking 'I'm lying, but I can't let Usagi know. I'm going to die, I know I will, isn't this always how it goes? I'll die, but at least I'll die defending her' –

I miss you already, Usagi thought, I can already feel myself become just a shell of a person. I wish I could have done all of this again, I wish I had known earlier, I wish, I wish –

She pulled her toward her and kissed away the tears that still flowed down her face, whispered "I love you" over and over again, added "Don't leave me," to the refrain. She had to feel her, had to know that she was still there, existing, a physical object on fleeting earth, so she did, felt the beating heart, the lungs expanding and contracting to suck in air whenever they broke apart for a moment. Rei, too, chanted "I love you", alternated it with the heartbreaking "I don't want to die". This poor woman, she thought, who had been ripped apart too many times, who had had to put herself back together too many times. She traced the lines on her arms, sharp and jagged edges that had sliced into her; the bones of her ribs, crushed by heavy objects, slammed into hard surfaces; the plane of her thighs, pierced by projectiles that managed to hit her.

"I love you," she said, but her refrain had changed. "You're alive."

"I love you," she replied, "You're not alone."

They fell into each other, alive, together.

* * *

AN: Next chapter is the last one! plus an epilogue that I will be putting up shortly after.

**Jovian Sun**, I also foresee lots of therapy. As for Crystal Tokyo, I'll tell you right now that I'm not ambitious enough to take a stab at that! Maybe next time. I'd be grateful if someone could neatly explain to me the canon timeline of events. Thank you **James Birdsong**!


	19. Guardians

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN SUMMARY

Hamilton and Accra unleash a poison fog that kills half of Tokyo. The aliens' backstory is revealed. In a fight against Hamilton, Venus is inject with the brainwashing serum and Mars must kill her. Saturn and Pluto trap themselves in with Accra in an infinite loop. Hamilton unleashes the masses on Moon, Mask, Mercury, and Mars. Their situation seems entirely hopeless and they are forced on the run. They get separated and Usagi and Rei find some comfort in each other.

**CHAPTER EIGHTEEN**

Morning found Usagi, Rei, Ami and Mamoru gathered in Shinjuku. In one short conversation they established that they had all come to the same conclusion. With Accra immobilized and the city in chaos, there was now only one thing they could do.

They had to kill Hamilton.

The only question was how.

"Well he's only got one arm now," Rei said, "And Minako managed to get him pretty good."

"Yes," Ami replied, "But we all got injured, and our numbers have nearly halved."

Mamoru looked somewhat nervous as he added: "And considering that it's Venus, Pluto, and Saturn who are out of commission, you can say our strength has more than halved."

"Hey!" Rei and Usagi simultaneously shouted at him.

"He's right," Ami said. "Not that we're delicate flowers, but Pluto and Saturn…plus Venus had that power up from Accra."

Something scratched at the back of Rei's mind, something about power ups.

Rei snapped her fingers. "What did Makoto and Haruka say about getting the power boost from Hamilton? Something about how he pointed his cane at them, right?"

Usagi nodded. "Yeah. And then he mumbled some weird words."

"I know what the words are," Rei said slowly. "And…we have to get Hamilton's cane."

* * *

Because, Rei told them, Sailor Pluto had strongly hinted that this was the best course of action. They had spent the day brainstorming and, as evening fell, had decided to sleep on it. All trusted their guardian of time friend enough to know that the cane was absolutely crucial. It was unfortunate that she had not seen fit to tell them how, exactly, they were supposed to obtain it.

An idea came to Rei later that night. She had stayed awake and mulled over the problem as the others fell asleep. She turned now to survey the rest of the room. Ami slept soundly. Usagi and Mamoru were up on the roof and would remain there for another two hours as they stood guard. She silently transformed, jumped out the window, and moved through the streets of Tokyo until she had reached the Kabuki-za theatre. Hamilton had kept it as his homebase, even in its gutted state.

He sat on the front doorsteps. A little spark floated above his head and lit the area directly around him. He tapped his foot at irregular intervals and stared into space. A careless, well-illuminated target – he was practically asking to get killed, Sailor Mars thought. She squeezed her hands into fists and imagined what a well-placed Flame Sniper could do.

If only he were like any other enemy they had faced. Of course he didn't care about how exposed he was. He knew nothing could harm him. She wanted to kill him all the more for his arrogance. She took a few deep breaths to centre herself and moved forward, into the open. When he spotted her he raised an eyebrow and smiled.

"Sailor Mars. To what do I owe the pleasure?" He scanned the area. "Are your friends not with you?"

"They are not," she said. She moved closer until she stood but a metre away from him. He made no move to attack. "I have a proposition for you. I want the power that you gave to Jupiter and Uranus."

He chuckled. "I have whittled down your ranks and Accra is already taken care of. Why would I need you?"

"I throw myself on your mercy. You can use me for whatever purposes you like. I have come to realize that we are fighting a losing battle. I refuse to be on the losing side of anything, especially when it will mean the death of Sailor Moon."

He narrowed his eyes. She dropped her gaze.

"When we fought on Kaerimasu Tower, you said you heard something interesting from Watanabe." She winced at the name. She hadn't thought about him for months.

He leaned forward. "Yes. He told me you're in love with Sailor Moon."

She looked him in the eyes and nodded slightly. The truth of the statement was undeniable.

"I suspected as much," he said. "And what does this have to do with me?"

"She needs to stay alive," she said, her voice shaking. "A world without her is one I cannot imagine. I am willing to be your servant. I could easily hand Tuxedo Mask and Sailor Mercury over to you, or I could kill them myself. And I will, of course, convince her to stop fighting." She paused. "Just please, don't kill her."

Hamilton rose to his feet. He remembered how he had felt when he had seen Jupiter and Uranus fall, how he wished it could have unfolded differently, so he could have his superpowered enforcers in the new world. His soldiers asleep in the Kabuki-za Theatre behind him were like blades of grass to be cut down before a Sailor soldier. He thought of the kinds of atrocities someone with power over fire could visit on the human population. He thought the tortures she could pull might be even better than the ones he had imagined Jupiter and Uranus conducting for him.

Yes. This exchange could go entirely his way.

"You must submit to the serum," he said, "And you must kill Tuxedo Mask and Sailor Mercury. In exchange, I will keep Sailor Moon alive."

She nodded, and held out her arm. He pulled a needle from inside his suit jacket, pulled her elbow toward him and injected it. The serum disappeared into her body and when it had emptied he pulled the needle out and tossed it aside.

"It will be a few hours until it takes effect," he said, "But you are now mine." He pulled his cane out from his suit jacket and pointed it at her. "And I will not have a weakling of a soldier under my command. Allow me to increase your powers."

He got one word of the spell out before Sailor Mars reached forward and yanked the cane out of his hand. His split-second of surprise gave her enough time to get a good distance away. She had left a trail of explosives ringing the area around the Kabuki-za and one snap of her fingers set them all blowing up. The explosions sent smoke metres high, obscuring Hamilton's field of vision entirely. He screamed in frustration and sent blasts every which way.

"Sailor Mars," he shouted, his voice ringing through the night sky, "You dare betray me! You will kill Sailor Moon, and Tuxedo Mask, and Sailor Mercury!" He screamed in frustration and dropped to his knees, still sending blast after blast, none hitting his target. He stopped when the smoke finally cleared. There was no sign of Mars. He slammed his hands against the ground.

He could not hate himself more than he did at that moment. He had not slept in many days, plotting against Accra and creating those brainwashing serums. His mind slow from the sleep deprivation and still unused to having only one arm, he had actually fallen for Sailor Mars' little plot, and all he could do now was hope that they did not know how to use the magic wand.

Surely they did not know the incantation.

* * *

A few of the explosions had caught her and the trip back to their hiding place had taken her far longer than her trip to the Kabuki-za. When she returned she found them all at the front door of the complex, anxiousness written on their faces.

"Where have you been?" Sailor Moon demanded. She sounded scandalized and Sailor Mars realized she must look worse than she had thought as Sailor Mercury approached with a handkerchief and wiped the ashes off her face.

She pulled the cane out of her bodice and waved it around.

"Look what I got."

She had stolen an alien's magical wand.

Her friends' expressions of disbelief were almost worth the pain radiating through her arm. They goggled at the cane for a few long moments before Sailor Mercury suddenly pulled Mars' arm forward.

"What is this?" she asked. The bright, angry red mark left by the needle stood out sharply against her pale skin.

Mars remained silent. She heard Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask gasp. Sailor Moon quickly moved to her side and wrapped her arms around her. Sailor Mercury followed, the unusual act surprising Mars only for the surprise to vault straight into shock as she felt Tuxedo Mask pile on.

Mercury suddenly pulled away. "The words, Rei-chan," Mercury said. "What are the words?"

Mars nodded and handed the cane over to Mercury. "Power has she who fights against the gods."

* * *

"Why didn't you tell me what you were planning?" Mamoru asked. "I would have gone in your stead."

It had taken about half an hour for Usagi's sobs to decline into little sniffles. Ami and Mamoru had managed to keep the tears at bay for the time being, though their voices were barely steady enough to maintain a conversation.

Rei smiled. "I wouldn't ask you to sacrifice your life."

"But you're stronger," he said, "And you're faster, and you're…well, you're not smarter," and Rei was not above sending him a glare, "But you and Ami together make a more balanced pair than me and Ami." He leaned forward, grabbed her shoulders, shook her slightly. "Why, Rei? We'd have a better chance with you alive than with me alive."

Rei gently moved his hands away from her shoulders and reached to her side to pull the sword from its sheath. She laid it in front of them. The hilt held eight settings, four inlaid with jewels, four empty.

"I've spent so much time staring at this thing," she said. She pointed at the gems. "And there is no space for you, dummy. At least there's a part of them here, whatever that part may be." She traced the outline of the gems. "But you…"

"I would just fade away." He frowned.

"Exactly. And you're not meant to die, Mamoru-san."

"No. No no no. You're not meant to die, either," Usagi said. "Nobody's meant to die."

"Maybe not," Rei ceded, "But in this case, it's unavoidable." She grabbed the sword and stood. "And far be it from me to delay the inevitable."

Ami and Mamoru stood as well, and looked at her with dismay in their eyes. Their stricken expressions did not stab at her heart nearly as much as the waterworks coming from the woman sobbing at her feet.

"Ami-chan," she said, "We've known each other since we were girls. We've fought side-by-side for so many years. I've always trusted you to watch my back and you've trusted me to watch yours, even though you've seen my temper the most often and have had to talk me out of many rash moves. Thank you for your faith in me."

She looked at Ami. Tears flowed down her cheeks, but she stayed quiet.

"And thank you for being my friend. I ask that if my accounts get unfrozen, you put the money to the same use as Minako's. Also, please give my love and apologies to my grandpa, and my father, and Yuuichirou-kun."

Ami nodded once, and covered her mouth with her hands, trying to stifle her sobs. Rei tore her eyes away and looked to Mamoru.

"Mamoru-san, our illustrious history comes to an end." He cracked a smile despite his watery eyes and she, too, found herself smiling. "Even though you're a dork, you're the coolest person I know. Even though you're a jerk, you're the nicest person I know. And even though you're not as strong or as fast as I, there's nobody I trust more to protect your people, your planet, and her. I expect you to live up to your name." She bowed deeply. "Thank you for your patience, and thank you for your friendship."

She turned to Usagi, finally, and she blinked away the tears that welled up in her own eyes at the sight of those rolling down Usagi's cheeks. She opened her mouth to speak but found herself unable to say anything at all.

_Kill Sailor Moon, and Tuxedo Mask, and Sailor Mercury!_

Hamilton's orders started to ring through her head. She had to say something. Now.

But before she could say anything, Usagi leapt to her feet and lunged at her. Only Mamoru's quick move to grab Usagi's waist and pull her back saved Rei from getting tackled to the ground.

"Hino Rei don't do it!" She struggled against Mamoru's arms. "Don't leave me alone, again, you promised, you lied! You lied." She stopped struggling, her spirit deflating entirely. "I'm just a klutzy crybaby who doesn't even know kanji, how am I supposed to live without you?"

Rei widened her eyes and smiled. "You are not klutzy, nor are you a crybaby…" she trailed off. "_Anymore_, though there's no denying your knowledge of kanji is atrocious," she said quickly. "But you won't be alone." She raised her eyes to meet Mamoru's. "He's alive this time, and so is Ami-chan, and anyway Mina-chan and Mako-chan and Haruka-san and Michiru-san aren't dead. They're just…elsewhere…and that's where I'll be too." She grinned winked. "I'll be back before you know it."

"No, no, Rei-chan, don't, please, I lo – "

She was cut off by Rei's lips on hers. Rei drew away and clamped a hand over her mouth. "Don't say it, or I won't be able to go."

She stepped back and caught the sight of Mamoru crying. She had to turn away. She took a few more steps back, raised the sword, and aimed it at her heart.

It would be awful if she didn't die on the first stab. Her hands shook. Now she knew why Minako had had to turn the sword over to her. This was really much more difficult than it looked. She tried to push her hands forward but her body refused to move.

_Kill Sailor Moon, and Tuxedo Mask, and Sailor Mercury!_

Her hands became clammy. She tried again. Her friends ribbed her all the time for having no survival instinct. She should certainly be able to do this.

But she just couldn't.

She stayed frozen in place.

She glanced at her three friends again, Usagi, Ami, and Mamoru. Her first friend, her second friend, and her first boyfriend. Two doctors and a schoolteacher. Quite possibly the three kindest people on the planet. She let out a quiet, nervous chuckle. No way could she ask any of those three to stab her. It was all on her.

But she couldn't do it.

She had to do it. She had to do it.

Maybe if she repeated it enough times.

She pulled the sword inward, the tip now scraping against her sternum.

* * *

"Oh my god, what are you doing?! Stop. Stop!"

A voice echoed down the street. Rei relaxed her stance and turned toward the sound of footsteps on pavement. A woman ran toward them, one hand outstretched. As she got closer Ami let out a gasp.

"Suzuki! You're alive!"

"Barely," Suzuki said, and her statement was proven a moment later with a coughing fit. She cleared her throat. "This stupid fog has given me the black lung or something."

Usagi looked just as stunned to see her as Ami had been. "But you were on their hit list!"

Suzuki shrugged. "I don't know why they even bothered to make that. The number one skill of everyone on that list is survival." She paused. "But I'm pretty good at science, too." She opened her little leather satchel and pulled out a needle, neatly labeled ANTI-HAMILTON SERUM.

At this, Rei's jaw dropped open as well.

"Is this the vaccine?"

"Yep! A super-potent version for the crap those aliens have been using on you. Just finished it yesterday. I had to get access to some nuclear waste and – anyway, it was pretty difficult, and it's still untested – obviously – but I think it'll work."

Rei grimaced at the sight of the needle. "You _think_ it'll work?"

"We trust her." Ami glanced at Mamoru, who nodded. "If it doesn't cure you, well…it can't really harm you any further."

"Probably," Suzuki added, as Ami grabbed the needle and stuck it in Rei's inner elbow. "…Did you get infected?"

Rei gave her a confused look. "Well yes…that's why I was going to stab myself." She paused. "Um, what did you think?"

"I thought you had gotten depressed," Suzuki said, following an awkward pause.

Rei frowned. Suzuki shrugged.

When the fluid finishing draining, Ami withdrew the needle.

And they waited.

"Well?" Usagi eventually demanded.

"Well I don't want to kill anyone," Rei said. "So…I think I'm good?" The utter disbelief rang loud and clear in her voice. She was truly stunned that after disaster and misery piled on top of crisis and misfortune, she finally had a stroke of good luck.

She had almost forgotten that there even was such a thing.

"Natsuki-sensei," she said, "You have no idea how much I owe you."

Suzuki clapped her hands together.

"I saved friggin Sailor Mars!" she said gleefully. "That's all the repayment I'll ever need." She gave them each a binder filled with needles and vials of the vaccine. "My work here is done. I'm going to get the hell out of Tokyo." She leaned forward and whispered conspiratorially. "So no one's supposed to leave Tokyo but – would you believe that those Akayashis are running an underground railroad?"

Good news piled on top of good news. Usagi, Ami and Rei exchanged broad grins at hearing their friends were alive and as resourceful as ever.

* * *

The next evening they tried to power up.

The spell did not work when they cast it on themselves. Nor did the spell work on Sailor Moon or Tuxedo Mask. It only worked when Sailor Moon cast it on Sailor Mercury and Sailor Mars.

"Power has she who fights against the gods," she intoned, and the two felt a sudden chill followed by sudden heat that quickly dissipated and left nothing behind but a sense that something had changed. Mars and Mercury exchanged wide-eyed looks.

"I think…it worked this time," Mars said.

Mercury nodded. "I can only assume our powers get amplified by the Ginzuishou." She turned to Tuxedo Mask. "I do wish we had access to the Golden Crystal. It would be interesting to…"

Mars tuned their conversation out and pulled Sailor Moon aside. They had speculated that alien magic might have side effects but she really should have foreseen this one. Jupiter and Uranus had reported experiencing a persistent, annoying thump in their chests whenever Hamilton called on them and she felt the same now. At least she wouldn't have to use a whistle, but…

"Cut it out," Mars said. Sailor Moon looked at her with wide, uncomprehending eyes. "Stop calling for me. I'm here already."

It took Sailor Moon a moment to process her words but once she did she clutched the cane tightly and grimaced. "Sorry." She paused. "But I can't stop it. I'm a little paranoid ever since you almost stabbed yourself."

Mars ignored the sharp tone in her voice.

"Well we have the vaccines, there's no chance of that happening again," she said airily. "So don't worry about it."

Sailor Moon looked at her crossly for a moment but whatever she was going to say was cut short by Mercury calling them over for tactical planning. When they had drawn up their battle strategy it had already gotten late. For once, nobody volunteered to take first watch. With a sigh Mercury pulled out four straws.

* * *

So she might have rigged the straws.

So what? She needed to talk to her.

She and Usagi sat on the roof, their legs dangling over the edge. Lately the last watch of the night had become Rei's favourite. The night at its darkest made it easy to speak the truth. She glanced to the side and could barely make out Usagi's profile.

They had been silent since they had climbed onto the roof. Usagi had something to say, Rei knew, and she waited patiently for her to say it.

"I'm mad at you," she finally said. "If Suzuki hadn't shown up right at that instant, you would have broken your promise to me. After that whole speech in the flower shop, too."

Remembering _that_ set Rei blushing horribly and she once again congratulated herself on the wisdom to have this conversation in near-total darkness.

"I knew you were lying," Usagi continued.

"Sorry," Rei said, her voice laden with misery.

"You're terrible."

She lapsed into silence again. Rei waited, sensing Usagi had not finished reprimanding her yet.

"And your goodbye speech to me sucked," Usagi added. "You had all these nice words for Mamoru and Ami-chan but all you could say to me was 'I'll be back before you know it'!"

"That wasn't my fault," Rei said. "You were trying to stop me. I didn't have time for a fancy speech."

A frigid silence hung between them for a moment before their tempers exploded.

"I can't believe this! You're blaming me!" Usagi swung her legs back onto the roof and crouched forward to poke Rei hard in the chest. Rei winced and batted the hand away.

"That's because you're to blame!" She got to her feet and clenched her fists together. Usagi, too, jumped to her feet.

"Your goodbye was crap!" Usagi yelled.

"I was making it up on the spot! You were distracting me!" Rei had made a determined effort not to raise her voice too loudly, an effort that flew out the window as her temper spiraled higher.

"I've heard you make better speeches to freaking Cardians!"

"Name even one!"

"Why are you always like this?" they simultaneously shouted.

They fell silent and grinned at each other.

"I'm sorry," Rei said. "I'm sorry I got angry just now. I'm sorry I gave you a crappy goodbye speech. I actually did have one prepared, a good one." She smiled at Usagi's indignant look. "I couldn't say it, though, because I couldn't bear to see your sad face before dying. I had to leave you with words of encouragement." She frowned. "Obviously, that didn't work either."

"Well…" Usagi hesitated, but she had to know – "What were you going to say?"

"You can find out next time."

"Hey! Come on, Rei!" Usagi smacked her arm. Rei grimaced.

"Okay, sorry!" She'd probably said the word more often in the past ten minutes then she had in her whole life, she thought. "Here's what I was going to say."

She paused. She had been preparing her speech ever since she had the vision of herself and the others dying. It had changed on a near-daily basis, and it had taken this form only recently, after she had spent a long time meditating on what Sailor Neptune had told her, months ago in that hospital room. _Your priorities, Sailor Mars_. Neptune had been giving her the exact same advice she gave Makoto when she asked her how to regain her powers, years ago. _Think about what you actually value_.

Rei already knew the answer to this. She had thought about it long and hard, so long ago up on that mountaintop shrine, had struggled until she knew what her everything was: Tsukino Usagi.

She took a deep, shaky breath. Once again she was glad for the cover of night, though Usagi's bright blue eyes still stood out against the blackness. Her instinct was to look away, but she forced herself to keep eye contact.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry about everything. I love you. I don't know how I fell in love with someone as sweet and perfect as you, but I did, and being Sailor Mars is the best thing that could have happened to me because I got to meet you, and to be your friend. Thank you."

Usagi's expression was unreadable and Rei finally found it too hard to keep meeting her eyes. She stepped forward, wrapped her arms around her neck and pulled her into a tight hug.

"The one thing I regret in this life is that…I know I can't have all of you. I'd just – If I could do it all over again, I'd be happy with any part of you."

She pulled away and stepped back. She forced a smile.

"That's what I was going to say. Now do you understand? How could I have possibly killed myself with you looking at me like that?"

"I – Rei – "

Rei lifted a finger to Usagi's lips.

"Don't say anything, Usagi. Think about it later, okay?" She moved back and cracked her knuckles. "First, we have a monster to kill."

* * *

There was no one to test her power out on, and she couldn't actually feel it course through her, but still her heart beat at double time as she felt a thrill at the idea of being able to meet Hamilton and, perhaps, matching him in power and speed. She hopped in place and bumped her fists against each other. She felt a pang of grief when she thought that Makoto would have understood perfectly. It wasn't like she wanted to hurt people, but now she truly had the power to protect.

She stopped bouncing and closed her eyes, tried to calm herself, but all she could picture again and again was whacking Hamilton in the face with a well-placed fist.

There was, of course, only one place to face him down. Once again the four friends stood at the base of Skytree Tower and waited for the alien to find them.

By instinct she understood that Hamilton was in for a surprise, for her and Sailor Mercury's power had not been boosted by the power of a sadistic conqueror. No. Theirs was a power that stemmed from the holder of the Ginzuishou, a miraculous power, a divine source. Even though they hadn't yet, she already knew that they could pull feats he would not at all expect.

She glanced at Mercury, who nodded once, with purpose.

She was glad that Mercury had been the once to receive power over water. She had the imagination to use it to its fullest extent. Mars frequently tried to imagine what she would do with the others' abilities, but all she ever regressed to were visions of fiery catastrophe.

Which, in this case, was fine by her.

Her somewhat maniacal smile dropped when Hamilton arrived. He floated downward and landed in front of them with barely a sound, his feet soft against the uprooted ground.

"Hamilton," Sailor Moon said, her voice flat.

"Sailor Moon," he replied, his voice colored with amusement. His tone made Mars growl, her temper stilled only by Sailor Moon's hand on her arm. She let the tension drop from her shoulders though her hands curled into fists as Hamilton barked out a laugh.

"Yes, do leash your dog." He paused. "Who is still in her right mind, I see. How did you manage this?" The Sailor Senshi remained silent. He pressed on. "You being Sailor Moon, I assume you would like one last attempt at civil conversation."

Sailor Moon pressed her lips together into a thin line.

"Hamilton, why do you not stop this? You know we have the power to defeat you. You know that we have yet to ever lose against our enemies. Why?"

"Because I'm evil," he said, sardonic. "Is that what you want me to say?" He shook his head. "No, I have no such philosophically pure motive. I take this planet because it is here to take. I will be lord of this planet because I refuse to be anything but the most powerful, anywhere I go. I am a wild animal, fighting to stand at the top of the pack, crushing lesser beings underfoot." He scanned their faces and smiled. "And you are those lesser beings. Now, would you go ahead and try to kill me?" He looked at his watch. "I have other things to do this evening."

Sailor Moon took a step back. She looked to her right, at Mars, and to her left, at Mercury. She nodded.

They launched forward. They were quick, too quick for him to quite follow as they rushed toward him, too quick for him to react as they performed some rather elaborate choreography and launched their attacks. His eyes widened in fear as a white flame whirled toward him, the vortex melting everything in its path. He stepped aside, narrowly avoided it, and felt the heat singe his skin as it passed him by.

What he hadn't felt was the cold air that had started to surround him and with no warning he found himself encased in a block of ice. He felt his heart rate speed up as he watched Sailor Mars move to stand directly in front of him. Her hands were clasped together, index fingers pointed at him. He prepared himself for the worst as he made the molecules around him shake until the ice shattered. He was free of his prison but was immediately met by that white-hot flame that he feared and he screamed as he felt it burn.

His skin patched itself over in seconds and the rapid healing left behind a network of raised, uneven scars. His skin's topography had been ruined forever, he knew, and this he could not forgive. At least Venus had had the decency to use a clean slice to cut off his arm. He felt the rage build within him but he could not yet act on it as he felt his feet get frozen to the ground and saw the blade swing toward him.

It was time to say goodbye to vanity. He turned his hand to metal and managed to catch the blade. Mars jerked the blade away from his grip. He kicked his feet free and lunged forward to punch her only to be sent flying by a column of ice that smashed painfully into his side. He flew end over end and crashed upside down into a building wall. Sailor Moon yelled something, and the building came crashing down on him. The bricks and concrete and steel beams crushed him but it would not kill him, he knew. He waited patiently until it had finished collapsing then sent a beam upward, creating a path to freedom. He emerged from the wreckage bloodied and bruised but far from defeated.

"Accra was far stronger than the three of you combined and she never managed to defeat me," he spat out. "What makes you think you can?"

In a break from tradition they did not even respond to him. Their expressions only became grimmer as the three women sent attacks flying at him. With a few aerial acrobatics he managed to dodge them all only to grunt in surprise as Tuxedo Mask landed on him from above and ran him through with the sword. When did he get here? When had Sailor Mars given him the sword? How had he even gotten this high up?

He had no time to contemplate these questions too deeply as he hurtled toward the ground. Tuxedo Mask jumped off him at the last minute and Hamilton landed in a shallow pool of boiling hot water. He screamed and rolled away and found Sailor Moon standing over him, sword in hand. She slashed at him and he scrambled backward and felt it slice into his chest. He screamed again and threw himself at her but he stumbled instead as he felt himself weaken.

He suddenly felt so very thirsty.

Sailor Mercury was slowly drawing the water out of his system, he realized with some shock. She hadn't been able to do that before. Come to think of it, Mars had never been able to create a white-hot flame. He balled his hand into a fist as he realized they must have succeeded in using the magic wand to increase their power. His fist struck the earth and the ground below them shook. They all stood their ground but stumbled a bit and their stumble was all he needed as he once again let a wave of energy spread out from his person. They fell to the ground and he made the earth rise up to bury them alive. They struggled to free themselves from the soil and dirt that invaded their airways.

The sky directly above him had grown overcast and the atmosphere had steadily gotten foggier. As he noticed visibility drop to next to nothing he realized their struggles had been just a feint. He heard them break free from the dirt and he screamed as he felt his blood begin to boil. A projectile took out one of his eyes.

He was going to die.

It was time to let go of vanity entirely.

The power he had been using to maintain his youthful appearance thrummed through him once again as he felt his hair fall out and his skin shrivel up. He used it first to restore his blood to a normal temperature. Then with a snap of his fingers the fog around him cleared.

The Sailor Senshi were staring at him in shock and failed to completely hide their disgust at his appearance.

"I may look like this," he said, "But you shall know now why I am the emperor of a great empire, spanning many planets, many who had defenders far stronger than you." He shot a blast at Sailor Moon. He noticed the other three speed toward her but they were not fast enough, the blast moved far too quickly, she screamed as it hit her. Her head knocked back against a telephone pole. Blood spattered from her nose and mouth and she passed out.

The others looked sick. He grinned.

"You have made my life exceedingly difficult. I have lost an arm. I have lost the beauty of my skin. I have been forced to resume this appearance. You will get your due punishment." He launched another blast at Tuxedo Mask and he hit a wall with a sickening crunch.

"You, Sailor Mars, stole from me, and you and Sailor Mercury both think this will allow you to defeat me. What arrogance." Rings of energy formed around them and bound their arms to their torsos and their ankles together. They tumbled to the ground. He strode over to Sailor Mercury.

"Have you recovered from the last time we fought, Sailor Mercury? How do your ribs feel?" he asked. Sailor Mercury bit her lip and braced herself for the incoming pain. Hamilton kicked at her sides over and over until he heard bones break and chatter. He stomped on her sternum until he heard it crack. Her breath came in wheezing gasps, now.

"I heard from Lady Accra that you also did quite a number on her hands. She is certainly an inferior specimen but she is still of House Massalia. This dishonor must be repaid." He grabbed her right hand and crushed it, repeated the same for her other hand. "And you and Mars tried to boil me alive from the inside. This, too, deserves repayment." He picked her up by her throat and smashed his fist into her face over and over again until she passed out from the pain. He tossed her to the ground and spat on her figure.

"Your friends are terrible at withstanding pain, Sailor Mars," Hamilton said. "You, on the other hand. Does it come from your Shinto training, or is it just your natural stubbornness?"

She almost wished she was not so good at it as Hamilton broke her arm yet again. She screamed as her fingers were broken, and nearly threw up as he swung a brick down at her head. The sky above her spun as blood poured from her scalp.

"And for stealing my wand, what shall I do? And for scarring my flesh, what shall I do?" He drew back and she curled in on herself as used a beam to sear skin off her shins and torso. "And I must take your eye, too." He frowned. "It was you, who took my eye out, was it not?"

Shit. It had been Tuxedo Mask, and her depth perception was absolutely the last thing she wanted to lose, but…

"Yep, it was me. My way of saying fuck you."

He laughed. "You're a terrible liar." He pointed a finger at Tuxedo Mask, who woke up to searing pain as a laser hit him square in the chest.

Hamilton laughed and walked toward Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask, to inflict whatever tortures he deemed necessary.

But Sailor Mercury had woken up.

She glanced at Sailor Mars, who nodded. The pair mustered up the last of their energies to break free from their binds and together they fired a blast at Hamilton.

He turned away from Sailor Moon and prepared to fire back at them until he felt something razor sharp skim his cheek.

He turned again. Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask were gone.

He turned back. Sailor Mars and Sailor Mercury had also disappeared.

* * *

Why hadn't it worked?

They had fought hard. They had fought skillfully and had thought quickly on their feet and had changed their plans at a moment's notice and had remained perfectly synchronous; they had understood each other's intentions at all times. Years. Years they had spent together in battle, and had learned how to always help and never hinder. All this experience and their unshakeable bond they had brought to bear in just this one fight.

It had been the best fight of their lives.

But Hamilton had pulled out extra power.

And they had lost.

She stared at the sickly sky turned yellow-gray as the first streaks of sunset began to cut across the canopy. She heard Usagi and Mamoru behind her, exchanging anxious words about trauma and ruptures and lacerations. She felt the bandages tight around her entire torso, around her arms and legs, everywhere, there were bandages, constricting her. She itched everywhere, she thought she might very well sit up and free herself of the white dressings, she thought it would be too much of a waste of precious resources.

She felt tears prick at the corners of her eyes and she did sit up, then, and angrily wiped them away. Tears she reserved exclusively for sadness, now; frustration and despair were not emotions she could allow to settle in her when there was still an enemy to defeat. She looked to her right and saw Ami on the ground beside her. Her breathing was shallow. The muscles in her jaw twitched as she clenched her teeth hard. She struggled and failed not to moan in pain.

Damn. He knew their previous injuries, had been the one to incur most of them, he knew exactly what to do to incapacitate them. They were useless, now. It would be up to Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask to defeat a superpowered alien from space whose machinations had managed to get Jupiter, Neptune, Uranus, and Venus killed and whose sheer strength and fighting ability had grievously injured Mars and Mercury.

She stamped down the creeping doubt that began to ring through her bones. No, the Princess of the Moon and the Prince of the Earth would not lose. The Princess of the Moon, especially, she never lost.

The frustration and despair that she felt despite her best efforts was not at facing the idea of losing. Rather, she realized, they stemmed from her inability to do anything to help. She had to do something. She only now registered that Usagi and Mamoru had been trying to speak to her for the past five minutes, at least.

"Sorry," she said. "My head is a little fuzzy. What was that?"

She zoned out immediately as they repeated what they had been saying. She could not focus no matter how hard she tried, an occurrence so rare for her that she knew there must be something at the back of her mind demanding her attention, blocking her thought processes. She held a hand up to Usagi and Mamoru.

"Shh…Let me think."

Usagi and Mamoru stopped speaking and even Ami managed to keep her voice down to pained whimpers as all three turned to watch Rei. She pulled out an ofuda and let it go. It floated in the air before her. She willed it to catch fire. She crossed her legs, steepled her hands, and focused on the flame. She felt her mind tumble into the fire before her, caught sight of a flash, a glint, and two heavy thumps.

That was it.

Something she had been denying that she would have to do. Something she had always known she would have to do. The ofuda fell to the ground and ashes drifted away as the fire consumed it.

She eyed the sword, felt the hilt, rattled it against her side.

"No no no no no." This time Mamoru was the one ardently objecting. "No." He reached forward and grabbed her hands, stilled them before she could draw the sword.

But this was the only choice, she thought, giving him a sympathetic glance.

…Wasn't it?

Her mind still felt fuzzy and this time it felt more like outside interference more than anything else.

And who would be able to do something like that?

Who else but Sailor Pluto?

Sailor Pluto…who had told her…

_It is not always necessary to take the most drastic option_.

She remembered watching her friends disappear, how their bodies had evaporated into nothingness until all that was left was that little gem from their tiaras.

"I have an idea." Ami's faint voice wavered but held a note of relief that confused Rei until she heard her next words. "The gems."

Her words sent Rei's mind into overdrive as she, too, suddenly understood what Setsuna had been hinting at. She leapt to her feet, ignored the pain that shot through her shins and the aches in her biceps as she pumped her fist. She licked her lips. Would it work? They might still die. Who knew what the hell kind of outcome doing something like this would have. But they had to try it. Maybe they could survive. Maybe they could live!

If it worked…if it worked…

Well she would be spending the rest of her days trying to find a way to free Setsuna, if only to thank her.

She gripped her henshin wand.

"Ami-chan," she said. She looked down at the woman still on the ground. She had a pained frown but a small smile signaled to Rei that she was ready. Rei leaned down and placed Mercury's henshin wand in her hand.

"Don't!" Mamoru said, arm outstretched. "It'll take up too much of your energy reserves."

"Well," she said, stretching the syllable out, "Hopefully we won't need it for much longer." She raised the wand. "Mars Planet Power, Make-Up!"

"Mercury Planet Power, Make-Up!"

As she was now it did take quite a bit of her power to maintain Sailor Mars form. It would only be for a few moments, though. She looked down at Mercury, who had already pulled her tiara away from her forehead. She laid it at Mars' feet.

"I'm sorry I'm not strong enough to do this for myself," she gasped out. Mercury was wracked by a fit of coughs. When she once against caught her breath she cast a wry glance at Mars. "Wait. I know what you'd want me to apologize for. Sorry for not letting you be the guinea pig."

Mars smiled.

"That's exactly right."

She raised the sword.

Usagi gasped. "Rei, what are you doing?" She lunged forward.

Mars brought the sword down before Usagi could reach her. The blade cracked against the tiara and it broke in two.

Sailor Mercury's transformation slipped away. Ami screamed and huddled into a ball. Her screams continued loud and long, interspersed only with pained hisses. She arched and scrunched her face and clawed at her arms until Usagi moved to hold her close and stroke her hair. Though she stopped clawing, her screams continued until she passed out. Mamoru rushed toward her and grabbed her wrists, letting out a sigh of relief when he felt the hummingbird pulse beneath his fingers.

The disturbing sight had not distracted Mars from the fact that another gem had joined the others in the sword hilt and all now glowed a little more brightly than they had before. She swung the sword through the air and felt her hands buzz at the power she felt within it.

She pulled her own tiara off her forehead and laid it on the ground.

"Wait," Mamoru said, his hand outstretched. "Wait until she wakes up. You can ask her what happened before you decide."

Mars shook her head. "If she tells me it's something horrible, I might not be able to do it," she said, thinking back to her inability to kill herself. "And," she continued, gripping the sword more tightly still, "This is something I absolutely have to do."

Mamoru slowly nodded. Usagi had been staring at Ami, wide-eyed. She turned to look at her with a horrified expression.

"I don't think…" she managed to say, just as Rei swung the sword down. She winced when she felt her bones rattle as the blade struck the metal. The tiara shattered into a dozen pieces at least, easily freeing the gem.

The sword slipped from her hands as she dropped to her knees and clutched her chest. She felt sharp pains run through her heart and dull thumps in her head and she dropped further still, crouching in on herself as she struggled against the pain.

But worse, still, was the feeling of her skin getting ripped away. She felt her Salior Mars uniform fall away as usual –

And something went with it.

Something named Sailor Mars went along with that gem into the sword's hilt and left her feeling like a newborn abandoned in a very large, very mean city.

"—ahh! Ahh! Ahh!"

She screamed over and over again, half from the pain, half from the panic as Sailor Mars was slowly, excruciatingly torn away. Her muscles atrophied as her strength and speed lowered to that of a normal woman's. Her future sight dimmed and all she would be able to see now were glimpses.

Her powers over fire flickered and left her.

That would have been the worst, except then she felt something leave her, something she had never realized she had, since it had been a constant presence that had started as nothing but a thread and had grown without her noticing into strong bonds – a dialed down version of that awareness Sailor Moon had of her Sailor Senshi. She couldn't feel Sailor Mercury anymore, nor her charge, Sailor Moon –

And that was truly the worst of all, when she realized she had effectively become the world's most useless bodyguard to the person she loved the most.

Only when she stopped screaming did she hear her name being called over and over again. Usagi and Mamoru both hovered over her, not quite daring to touch her for fear that they would only hurt her more. But the pain had stopped, now. She unfurled herself and stared with blank eyes at the sword before her, vaguely registering that her bright red gem had joined the others, that the sword now glowed like the sun on a clear summer's day.

"It's all up to you," she told them, her voice dry and cracked. "I – " She swallowed harshly. It shouldn't have been so difficult to say it. It wasn't that bad, she told herself. She was still alive, after all. At least. "I'm not Sailor Mars anymore." She glanced over at Ami. "She's not Sailor Mercury anymore." She glanced back at the sword. All parts of their lives seem to manifest as baubles. Dream mirrors, pure hearts… She should have known. "They're in there," she choked out.

"I know," Usagi said.

Usagi had felt it when Sailor Mercury had been ripped away from Ami. It was the strangest she had ever felt. She knew that Rei and Ami were alive, could feel their vitality still, but behind them stood only shadows, no longer avatars for gods.

Rei pulled her henshin wand from her sleeve and laid it in front of her. Rage was quickly starting to replace grief and she knew she would do something stupid if left to her own devices.

"Please hold on to this for me," she told Usagi. Usagi nodded and took the henshin wand up, winced when she felt the usual thrill of magic deadened. She took the wand from Ami's hand, as well.

"I'm so sorry, Rei," she said, remembering a time when her powers had been taken away, remembering the helplessness, the uselessness, the vulnerability, all things anathema to the woman who sat before her.

And then she spared a moment to feel scared for herself.

But just a moment.

Because, as she stared at the sword, and at the gems glowing on the hilt, she knew she had the power of her friends, at the strongest they had ever been, and they would not fail her, and she absolutely could not fail them.

She refused to.

She picked up the sword and stood. It wasn't meant to be hers. It was a little too heavy, a little too large, just the right weight and size for almost any of her Senshi. Still she could hoist it up, still she could swing it. It wasn't meant to be hers, but she could use it if she had to.

It truly was a weapon of last resort.

She let the sword drop to her side and noticed Mamoru and Rei staring at her in awe. She looked down and realized she was clad in a white dress.

What she couldn't see was her own expression. Her eyes had gotten dark, her eyebrows had lowered, her lips were pressed tight. Princess Serenity was deadly serious and if Mamoru and Rei were entirely honest they stared at her not only in awe of her majesty but also in very slight fear of her person.

"Mamoru-san," Rei said, "When I said it's all up to you, I didn't mean just her. I meant both of you." She glared at him. "We guardians have failed her. Who can protect her now but a prince?"

He smiled at her and stood.

"Yes."

A red cape billowed around black armour.

A shield appeared before him.

The shield had four slots in it, relic of what he had been supposed to have. Serenity looked surprised to see the shield. Endymion felt no surprise at all. He thought, somehow, he should have had this shield a long time ago. He reached forward to pick it up.

Its heft, a little heavy but not burdensome. Its size, a little large for one person, meant to protect two.

He didn't have his Shittenou around but hopefully he was enough, enough to protect her while she defeated evil.

* * *

She'd almost forgotten.

So distracted had she been by Serenity and Endymion's appearance that she'd almost forgotten.

She'd always been able to sense danger, evil, darkness, even before her transformation into Sailor Mars, and the sense of foreboding that filled her now finally forced her to rip her eyes away from the prince and princess and look toward the sky.

And although her superhuman powers were gone, all her archery training had still left her with superior vision. She clenched her jaw as she noticed a speck in the distance, rapidly approaching.

"He's coming here. Now."

Serenity and Endymion looked at Ami in alarm. Ami had barely begun to stir and would be an open target for Hamilton. Rei scrambled over to her and with a bit of effort managed to lift the other girl up in her arms.

"We'll seek safety," she said. She hesitated. It felt so wrong, leaving them here to fight Hamilton on their own, but she'd only get in the way. She walked away with only one backward glance at Serenity and Endymion.

* * *

Hamilton landed in front of them.

He had returned to his youthful appearance, though he now wore an eyepatch, and his remaining hand appeared to be permanently encased in metal.

"What happened to the mini-skirt? What happened to the top hat?" He smiled. "You suppose a costume change will help you beat me?" His voice betrayed no nervousness but Serenity and Endymion both caught his gaze flick toward the brightly glowing blade Serenity held. Concern flashed across his face for just one moment before he resumed eye contact. "Did I manage to kill Mercury and Mars?"

"Lord Hamilton," Serenity said, "We stand before you now as Prince and Princess, the rightful inheritors of this planet. We will do anything to protect it, yet I must give you one last chance. There is no doubt about it: today, you will lose the war, and your life along with it."

Endymion picked up the thread.

"Repent and we may grant you forgiveness still," he said.

"Prince and Princess?" He smiled. "Ridiculous." He raised his hand, fingers curled like a gun. "Pow."

Endymion moved quickly as the beam headed toward Serenity. He shifted so the shield protected them both and the beam harmlessly dissipated against it.

Hamilton frowned. He raised his hand again, and a wave of energy flowed out from him, a wave that should have been strong enough to knock his enemies of their feet.

The ground beneath their feet cracked and sunk as they easily stood their ground.

"I see," he said. "This was not just a costume change."

Serenity raised the sword.

"Moon Spirit Invigoration!"

The sword glowed even more brightly and released energy.

The name was deceptive, Hamilton thought, as he threw himself to the ground. The energy beam flew over his head and he thought himself safe, for a moment, until he heard the beam shatter above him and felt the shards of light pierce into him. He winced and bore the pain to fire his own shot back at Serenity, only to have Endymion move in front of her and block his attack once again.

The next Moon Spirit Invigoration hit him squarely in the chest. He expected it to send him flying backward but it washed over him, instead, and he shook with fear as he felt his body's cells begin to disintegrate under the assault. With a scream he ripped himself free of the attack's path.

Clearly trading beams of magic was not going to get him anywhere. He clenched his fist and sprinted toward the pair. When he got to within a metre of them there was a bright glow and he stumbled backwards as he struck an invisible wall. A glance at the prince's face, scrunched up at the strain of upholding the wall, told Hamilton he was the one he'd have to eliminate first.

Hamilton slammed his open palm against the ground. A sinkhole opened beneath Endymion, who stumbled for a moment and took a few steps backwards in an attempt to avoid being sucked underground. His fumble gave Hamilton the opening he needed to hit Endymion in the chest with a beam. Only a slice of the beam did Endymion manage to head off with the shield; the rest struck him and sent him falling to the ground.

Hamilton rushed toward Serenity, fist pulled back. As he came within striking distance she slashed down with the sword. He moved to the side and felt the sword cut open the left side of his torso. In return he struck her on the nose. Blood spattered forward and her head snapped back but her grip remained firm on the sword and Endymion, by then, had recovered enough to move in front of her and hold up the shield. Hamilton hissed in pain as his fist clanged against the shield and sent shocks up his arm.

In that moment he let his glamour drop again and put all the energy in that fist. He shoved Endymion backward and with his foot caught Serenity in a sweep that sent her tumbling. Somehow she managed to send another Moon Spirit Invigoration at him and in that moment Endymion regained his footing and brought the shield down, slamming it against Hamilton's head. The edge caught his forehead and blood poured out from the cut. He blindly thrust his hand forward and shoved the shield aside. He found Endymion's head, wrapped his arm around it, and brought his face down to his knee. A crunch told Hamilton he had broken the man's nose.

Serenity had dropped the attack as soon as Endymion had gotten into its path as well and Hamilton took the opportunity that presented itself. He tossed the prince aside and strode toward the princess.

"Moon Spir – " was all she managed to get out before he had grabbed the sword in his hand to still it. He pulled hard to try to free it but she stubbornly hung on to the weapon. Fine, he thought. He continued to try to wrench the sword out of her grasp as he raised his foot and stomped down on her solar plexus. She let out a strangled sound but gathered up enough willpower to thrust the sword upward. He leaned back and avoided having the tip stab his neck. The lean backward threw him off balance enough for her to be able to leap to her feet. She put her weight on the sword and this time it did catch him, right through the chest.

It hurt, it hurt so much, but he had already had this experience, and he was able to think through the pain to clutch the sword's blade against him and push it deeper into him. Serenity was forced to get closer to him by force as she held on to the hilt and as soon as she was close enough he let go of the blade and fired a beam at her face.

From this distance it surely would have maimed her had it not been for the shield that was flung between his hand and her face just in time. Still the attack resulted in an explosion that sent both Serenity and Hamilton flying backward. But Hamilton was quicker to recover; he sent a blast toward Endymion that had him screaming in pain and followed up with a blast at Serenity so powerful that she finally lost her grip on the sword.

It flew out of her grasp and Hamilton tried to track its trajectory, but Serenity recovered quicker than he imagined she would; she was already on him, bludgeoning him with that heavy object she used for her normal attacks. He ducked and headbutted her. She stepped backward, leaving enough space for him to send an energy beam at her. This time his attack was not interrupted. She screamed and flew through the air, landing with a heavy thud next to Endymion.

He walked slowly toward them until he stood over them. They both had their eyes screwed shut as they gasped for breath and let out jagged moans of pain.

Uranus, Neptune, Jupiter, and Venus, dead. Pluto and Saturn, stuck in a timeloop. Mars and Mercury, nowhere to be seen, probably dead as well, after that last battle.

Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask, on the ground before him.

Earth's best defense, the Sailor Senshi, had been no match for him. The armies of this world would not be a problem, either. He resumed his youthful appearance. He wouldn't need his full powers, now, and he might as well look good in this moment of victory. He raised his hand and took aim for the killing blow.

* * *

No.

They had won against chaos itself, and they had been just teenagers, at the time.

They were not going to lose to this second-rate psychopath.

She would not allow it.

It all happened in the span of less than two seconds.

She took a step forward, prepared to throw herself in the way of whatever attack he was going to use to kill Serenity and Endymion.

She froze when she saw Ami across the street, hidden in an alley between two buildings. Ami was shaking her head and making desperate hand signals. Somehow, Rei knew exactly what she was saying.

Don't throw your life away uselessly! Think first, for once. Think!

So she thought.

The sword was lying very close to her. She was still fairly strong and had excellent aim. Hamilton was distracted, sure of his victory. And she stood to his right, his blind side.

She reached for the sword, raised it, and hurled it at him.

* * *

He barely moved back in time to avoid being run through by the sword that flew at him. It whirled end over end and managed to lop his remaining arm off before it lodged itself into the side of a building.

His mouth dropped open as he stared at the stump at his shoulder. After a long moment he turned and saw Mars' civilian form standing a bit far away, to the side. Her chest heaved and sweat dripped from her brow but her violently defiant look left him too stunned to do anything as she sprinted to stand next to Serenity. She pulled Serenity's arm around her shoulder and with a bit of a struggle managed to lift her to her feet. Mercury, also in her civilian form, joined them, wrapping Serenity's other arm around her own shoulder and taking some of the weight off Mars.

She had retrieved the sword, as well, and she handed it to Princess Serenity, whose unsteady grip was strengthened as the women on either side of her curled their hands – _hands with BROKEN FINGERS_, he thought – around hers. The sword glowed so brightly, now, he could hardly see them past the light that emanated from it, a veritable rainbow.

They tilted the sword, aimed its point directly at him.

He might lose, he realized.

Impossible.

He had no arms. He could do magic without them, he was fairly sure –

But he had never tried –

He wouldn't lose here, not to those three, not when two of them weren't even in their superpowered forms.

He ran toward them.

"Now, Usagi!" Endymion yelled, and the last thing Lord Hamilton saw was the three women smile as a flash of white light blinded him and evaporated him from existence.

* * *

AN: Thank you, **Jovian Sun**, horrible race of unimaginable demon spawn is what I was going for! Thanks again, **James Birdsong**! Thanks, **Lookin for the truth.** I also kind of like Accra despite myself. A beware fic?

Epilogue to follow very soon.


	20. Epilogue

AN: **Dino, Guest**, thank you! **fathomtheunfathomable**, I am seriously touched. Thank you so much.

**EPILOGUE**

His dying screams echoed through the air and when they had faded away all that was left was silence.

Serenity dropped the sword. It clanged against the asphalt as it hit the ground. She slowly sunk to her knees, as Rei and Ami on either side of her collapsed.

"We did it," she whispered. "We defeated Hamilton."

She felt her dress float away as her normal clothes settled about her body once again. She felt the weight of exhaustion settle on her as well, but she could not rest yet, she thought. Her three friends had all passed out and only she remained awake. She heard helicopters in the distance. She leaned back and waited.

* * *

…As the skies over Tokyo cleared, many reported hearing Sailor Moon's voice echo throughout Japan. Her words: "We have defeated Hamilton." Whether she somehow actually projected her voice or whether it was a case of mass hallucination remains disputed by historians, but what is known is that Sailor Moon had indeed gained victory over Lord Hamilton that day.

In the days that followed, the Sailor Senshi were once again revered as heroes. With Sailor Moon as their rallying inspiration, the people of Tokyo swiftly restored order to the city. Most of the pro-alien cells fell apart quickly. The Emperor returned to his residence the day after the Sailor Senshi declared victory and the government-in-exile returned soon after.

EXCERPTED FROM CHAPTER SEVENTEEN OF _THE_ _TERRAN-MASSALIAN WAR, VOLUME II_.

* * *

She was in and out of consciousness. For how long she could not tell. During her more lucid moments she took in the white, sterile surroundings, felt the IV in her arm, and registered that she was in a hospital. When she finally properly regained consciousness, she felt as if she could barely move. How long had she been lying here in this hospital bed? Her muscles must have atrophied a bit, she thought. She could barely press the button to call for the nurse.

She heard someone in the hallway whisper "She's awake", and a doctor entered the room.

"It's good to see you awake, Tsukino-san," he said.

Her voice came out cracked from disuse. "How are the others?"

She glanced over at the other three beds in the room. It was nice of them to have kept them together, but she thought maybe she would rather not have seen them in this state. They looked pale and gaunt and had so many more tubes and monitoring equipment attached to them than she did.

He bit his lip. She felt a surge of panic for a moment before he laid a comforting hand on hers.

"Don't worry. They're alive. We expect that Chiba-sensei will recover soon. As for Mizuno-sensei and Hino-san…" He frowned. "They are not healing as quickly or as well as we thought Sailor Senshi would."

He waited for her to comment, but she was not about to reveal that they had lost their powers until it was necessary. Instead, she cautiously said:

"You should treat them like you would regular humans. I think their systems have been worn down. They've been through a lot."

He nodded and marked something down on his clipboard. He glanced at the numbers that ran across the various screens surrounding her and marked those down as well.

"As for you," he said, "You're suffering from severe malnutrition. But you're in good health, otherwise." He eyed the feeding drip attached to her arm. "Tsukino-san, I have to be a little forward. Did you not have any food to eat, or did you not have the appetite?"

She felt her stomach roil at the thought of eating. "Kind of both." She paused and glanced at the drip. "But this is gross. Get me some real food, please."

* * *

By the time Mamoru woke up, Usagi had gathered some more information. They had been airlifted out of Tokyo and brought to a hospital in Kyoto. Though she didn't remember it, she had been the one to insist that they all stay in the same room. She had been unconscious for three weeks, and another week had passed since then.

"Our injuries weren't totally horrendous, but we have malnutrition and exhaustion," she told him bluntly.

He grimaced and jumped slightly in surprise when he heard a cough. Shingo leaned against the doorpost.

"I heard you were awake. We can't bring a baby in here because of those two but if you want to see little Usagi, my parents are at a nearby hotel."

Their families had already come by to visit. The Tsukinos had been the first to arrive, followed by Rei's father and grandfather, followed by Ami's mother and, to Usagi's great surprise, Ami's father. Their friends had visited as well, including the Outers' friends and Makoto's and Minako's friends, and Usagi struggled to explain why Venus, Jupiter, Neptune and Uranus had to die. She struggled even more to explain the limbo Pluto and Saturn were in.

The only people who had yet to visit were the Ainos.

"ChibiUsa," Mamoru whispered, tears rimming his eyes. He blinked. "Wait, what do you mean, because of those two?"

"They have various infections," Usagi said. "I don't understand it all, but they're really, really sick."

A week later the other two both woke up. Rei regained consciousness first and hurled out the entire contents of her stomach. She felt her hair get pulled back and a hand rub her back. When she had finished she found Mamoru and Usagi standing over her. She clutched at their arms and whimpered.

"Why does everything hurt?" She glanced at Usagi's comical appearance, blonde roots coming in to contrast with the black strands. "Why haven't you dyed your hair back?" She glanced over at the bed next to hers. "What's wrong with Ami?"

None of her questions got answered as medical personnel rushed in and wheeled her away to run what felt to her to be hundreds of tests. Ami woke up soon after, and all she could do was curl up into herself and cry quietly from the pain. She, too, was rushed away by the hospital staff for tests.

* * *

Almost two months had passed since Hamilton's defeat and the Senshi were about ready to leave this place of white walls and fluorescent lights. Flowers were piled high on tables everywhere and dozens of balloons were tied to the footboards of their beds, but neither managed to brighten the atmosphere appreciably.

The atmosphere was sucked of energy entirely when their next guests stepped in. They exchanged looks of dread. The Ainos had come to visit them.

A long stretch of silence followed, until Minako's father finally said:

"Can you at least tell me that she didn't die in vain?"

Usagi could barely speak past the lump in her throat.

"When the battle started, we never imagined it could become a war. But Minako always said you have to be ready for any situation, and she was ready for this. She killed her friends to save Tokyo. She kept us alive for those two horrible months. She made the tough choices and fought bravely. Without her, we'd certainly be dead by now. She saved millions of people. Billions. The whole planet."

Minako's mother looked away.

"I don't care. If my baby were still alive today, I'd be fine if everyone else died."

Ami and Rei looked slightly appalled, but Mamoru and Usagi could only look on sympathetically. They were parents. Maybe it was selfish, but things were different, when it came to your child.

They could only think of one thing to say that might comfort them, though it would be difficult to hear. The four exchanged glances. They had come to an unspoken agreement.

"This isn't the first time she's died," Ami said.

The Ainos looked stunned, confused, and vaguely horrified.

"I think there are a few other people who ought to hear this as well," Rei said.

When the Tsukinos, Mizunos, Hinos, Furuhatas, and Gurios had joined the Ainos in the room, the Senshi began to tell their story. All of it, from the Silver Millenium, through all their deaths and rebirths, up to the Massalians.

A long stretch of stunned silence followed.

"Three times," Minako's mother whispered. "She's died three times."

"And she's come back two times so far," Usagi said. "My guardians are so stubborn. They won't stay dead, when there's something to protect."

* * *

In addition to military police, private guards hired by Saito Kenji managed to keep most media out of the hospital for the duration of their treatment. Visits were limited to family and friends. Only after they were released from the hospital did the Senshi finally begin to meet with heads of state and government officials.

Left: A photograph of the Ainos entering Kyoto University Hospital. The Ainos remain in frequent contact with the Sailor Senshi.

Top: A photograph of Mizuno and Hino speaking with LDP members. Mizuno and Hino were instrumental in the creation and execution of a number of Tokyo restoration measures, including the program that earned the nickname of "Marshall Plan for Japan" – the Aino Minako/Sailor V Build a More Fabulous Tokyo Fund.

EXCERPTED FROM CHAPTER THIRTY OF _FIGHTING EVIL BY MOONLIGHT: BIOGRAPHY OF THE SAILOR SENSHI_

* * *

"Someone here once promised you," Mamoru said, "That we would find Hamilton and Accra, that we would fight against them, and that we would defeat them. This, we did.

"But we didn't do it alone. You discovered that we are just people. And sometimes we felt like giving up, and sometimes we felt like we would lose. But we knew that there were people out there who had faith in us. We knew there were people working tirelessly, still trying to find a way to victory. We knew that even if we did lose, there were people who would continue to fight against Hamilton.

"We could not let those people down. We – you, and I, and these women who stand before you, who drew their strength from you – defeated Hamilton, together.

"But there were some that we lost along the way. Friends, families, loved ones. Today, we remember. We remember what was sacrificed. We remember what was lost. We remember."

On the 100th day after the end of the war they opened the memorial plaza, dedicated to everyone who had died in the war, and to the Sailor Senshi. It had been a trying day for the remaining Senshi, who had given hours of speeches and had personally spoken to at least three hundred people, people who had reached out to them for comfort and closure and explanations and, most importantly, hope for the future.

* * *

THE HIKAWA JINJA. Minato ward. Destroyed in 20XX by Lord Hamilton and Lady Accra. Rebuilt in 20XX by volunteers from the Friends of Sailor Mars Society.

Sources of funding. For the temple proper: personal donation by Kumada Yuuichirou. For the adjoining plaza: the government of Japan.

The plaza. To the left, four large white marble blocks stand under wooden awning. These names are engraved on the front of the blocks: Kino Makoto, Tenoh Haruka, Kaioh Michiru, and Aino Minako, with their respective planetary signs engraved at the top of the blocks.

To the right, two smaller amethyst spheres stand on pedestals and are engraved with the signs of Saturn and Pluto. The names Tomoe Hotaru and Meioh Setsuna are engraved in golden plaques attached to the pedestals.

Facing the stairs, a tall statue of a winged person with hands stretched out before her. The plaque in front of her reads: TO ALL THOSE WHO DIED DURING THE TERRAN-MASSALIAN WAR. An unverified story holds that Tsukino had to argue quite strenuously against government officials to have the plaque read as it does. The city wanted to dedicate the plaque only to those who had fought against the aliens. Apocryphally, Tsukino is said to have replied: "Everyone was fighting for something. Nobody should have died."

EXCERPTED FROM CHAPTER TWELVE OF _TOKYO REBUILT, VOLUME XXIII: PLACES OF WORSHIP_

* * *

At first they had moved into separate apartments. But their time apart made them realize that none of them could bear it. None wanted to let any of the others out of their sight. So they moved into a house in Meguro, and for now, they all slept on futons in the living room. They had tried separate rooms, but their nightmares were just too difficult to handle alone. Even like this, they could barely sleep, insomnia often hitting all four of them.

They would never recover at this rate, Ami thought. They really ought to go see psychologists, but if their treatment got out to the media…

The consequences were difficult to imagine.

She sat up and ran a hand through her hair. She looked to her left and sure enough, Rei was also awake. She pointed to the door. Rei nodded. The pair silently pulled on street clothes and slipped out of the house. Though their days of roofhopping were over, there was still much to be done under the cover of the night. When they reached a cemetery Rei gave Ami a boost over the fence and scrambled over it herself. The spookiness of the gravesite did not especially bother either of them as they moved toward the nearest map. Rei pointed toward one corner and they set off. When they reached a certain grave they lay a white flower on the gravestone.

"This is one of mine," Ami said. "While on patrol with Setsuna."

"Looks like his wife was one of mine." Rei laid a second flower on the same gravestone. "At Shinjuku…"

Ami grimaced. Rei had yet to tell any of them what exactly had occurred at the train station, but Ami had seen the news items. The blood stains would not come out of the walls and floors of that particular building.

Rei clapped and bowed her head. When she had finished, she and Ami headed toward the next plot. This next one was Minako's, but she was not around to pay her respects. They would just have to do so in her stead.

"I can't believe I'm saying this," Ami said, "But we fought so hard. I think we deserved to survive." She paused. "Not that Minako and Mako-chan and Michiru and Haruka didn't. But I feel so proud of myself. All these people are dead, but we did what we had to, and we won. We survived."

As Rei heard the statement she knew she should have felt dismayed, but all she felt was the dull thrum of recognition.

"I feel a little guilty about it," Rei said, "But I'm the same."

They laid their flowers on the headstone and moved to the next plot. Ami pulled out a brush and began to scrub off the curse words that had been painted onto the stone.

"Do you remember how you got over that salaryman's death?" she asked as she worked.

"No," Rei replied. She mulled over the question. "Because I didn't get over it." She thought of his three children. She wondered if they had survived the war. They had not been able to locate them yet. "I managed to act like a normal human being again when I re-affirmed my life's chosen path, and when I accepted that there were consequences to that path."

Ami stood and brushed the dirt off her jeans. "His death was accidental. We killed people on purpose, this time. And so many."

"Yes."

"If there was no way to get over his death…"

"Yes." Rei sighed. "This is just something we'll have to bear."

* * *

FUJIKO TV NEWS: Sailor Moon, when do you intend to hold funeral services for your fallen comrades?

TSUKINO USAGI: This may sound unlikely, but we believe they are alive. We will not hold funeral services. We will hold memorial services, however.

CDE CHANNEL: Mizuno-sensei, Hino-san, why have not been seen in public as Sailor Mercury and Sailor Mars since the war ended?

MIZUNO AMI: Our time spent transformed was a time of death and destruction. We prefer to remain civilians as we aim to move forward with healing and reconstruction.

THE TIMES DAILY: You Sailor Senshi and Tuxedo Mask have received many invitations to the funerals of many people who fell during the war, including some that you killed. Why do you not attend?"

HINO REI: We feel we would inappropriately draw too much attention. We prefer to pay our respects in private, at a later time.

THE POST WEEKLY: The government of Japan and the government of Tokyo have said they will not be pursuing charges against you. Will you comment?

CHIBA MAMORU: We were left with emergency powers in wartime, and all our actions fell within the scope of said powers. We acted on behalf of the Emperor, for the lives and safety of the people.

TRANSCRIPT EXCERPTED FROM APPENDIX III OF _IN THE NAME OF THE MOON: INSIGHTS ON THE PSYCHOLOGY AND PHILOSOPHY OF VIGILANTISM AND SUPERHEROISM_

* * *

Their lives slowly returned to normal.

Normal being a relative term.

"We'll find a way," Ami said, her voice quiet as she watched the wall of monitors that showed scientists setting up their instruments. A protective structure had been set up around the Timewarp Semisphere. It was embedded everywhere with cameras that linked directly to their house. The monitors were set in the kitchen, at the breakfast table. They couldn't watch the monitors all the time, but they were bound to catch glimpses of Setsuna and Hotaru and Accra several times a day, at least.

"I'm sure we will," Rei replied. She smiled at Ami, who smiled back before leaving for her meeting with some emergency health services director.

Today was Rei's day off. She and Ami worked only every other day, under strict orders from the hospital doctors. She gingerly lifted her spoon up and slowly chewed on her breakfast cereal.

"Boo!"

She jumped in surprise and cursed as she dropped the spoon. It was so difficult to pick up in the first place with her fingers in casts. And she was always so easily startled nowadays. She turned and glared.

"Usagi…"

Usagi sidled onto the seat next to her.

"You've been quiet lately," she commented.

"I've been too busy thinking to talk," Rei replied. She turned back toward the screens. The two watched the scientists that mulled about around the Semisphere. "Ami and Mamoru say we probably can't get them out of there without freeing Accra as well."

Usagi grimaced. "So even if we find a way, we can't do anything unless we figure out how to kill her."

Rei's eyebrows shot upwards. "I thought you'd have been bent on freeing them as quickly as possible, no matter what."

"This war was very different from the other battles we've fought," Usagi said, her voice quiet. "I see things a little differently, now. I think…I'm never going to be the same again."

Rei frowned. She slid her half-eaten cereal over to Usagi, who immediately began to wolf it down. She narrowed her eyes.

"I don't think you've changed that much."

Usagi stopped mid-bite.

"This doesn't count," she sputtered.

Rei smiled. Truthfully, she was happy to see Usagi eating so enthusiastically again. "I know." Her smile dropped. "I understand."

They shared a look before Usagi caught sight of the microwave clock. She leapt from her chair.

"Oh no, I'm late for my meeting with the Correctional Services director! Why didn't you wake me?"

* * *

…Monsters, aliens, and all kinds of strange events have made regular appearances in Tokyo. After years of struggle, science had adjusted well to the turn toward the supernatural. Still, the revelations that unfolded through the course of the Terran-Massalian War shocked many. The most surprising revelation to the zoological community came after the war, when Artemis and Luna were forced to step forward as spokescats for the Sailor Senshi, who lay incapacitated in a Kyoto hospital…

…The timeloop Sailor Pluto and Sailor Saturn still find themselves in has changed the face of physics entirely and has challenged scientists to find an explanation – and in the process, the Sailor Senshi hope, find an escape for their two friends. To this end, the Senshi have been generous in allowing researchers everywhere access to what is known as 'the Timewarp Semisphere'…

EXCERPTED FROM CHAPTERS I AND II OF _HOLY ****, A TALKING CAT: THE NEW MAGICAL SCIENCE_

* * *

Yuuichirou's visits were awkward.

The first time he found out about their sleeping arrangement, he found it weird, but understandable. However, it meant he could not stay over for the night, and he and Rei rarely saw each other since she was always so busy. She used to take every other day off, and he would visit then, but now she worked fulltime, most days from 9 to 9, busy trying to re-construct the city.

He hid his irritation well until he discovered that Urawa Ryo sometimes stayed the night and he and Ami would retreat to a bedroom those times, and sometimes Mamoru and Usagi would retreat to a bedroom, and it all seemed unfair to him.

But he said nothing. Rei had been through a most traumatic experience. So what if she was emotionally distant and rebuffed all of his physical advances? She had killed people and had gotten seriously injured, of course she would react like this.

He said nothing, until one night Mamoru and Usagi had closed themselves in a bedroom and Ami had called to say she would have to stay out late to work on some crucial water supply problem. Rei sat on her futon in the living room and looked very small and afraid. He would not leave her alone like this.

He slumped onto the futon next to hers and to his surprise Rei did not complain. She curled up under her blankets and fell asleep. He had a more difficult time. He spent long hours staring at the ceiling until he felt shaking beside him. He shook her and she awoke in tears. He reached for her but she flinched and pulled away.

"Don't touch me," she said. "Especially not my arm. It really fucking hurts."

He grimaced at her angry tone, the level of her rage surprising him. This was PTSD, he thought, but he had always been good at handling her explosions of temper. He could deal with this.

"I – "

"Yuuichirou-kun. We need to break up."

The abrupt declaration left him stammering.

She cut him off before he could argue. "Because I cheated on you."

He froze.

"During the war." She elaborated. "A few weeks ago."

"With who?" he demanded. She cringed. He frowned. "Are you serious?" Usagi was probably in that bedroom right now fucking Mamoru, he thought, but with great restraint he kept himself from saying so. "Come on, Rei! Why did it have to be her?"

I would never have cheated on you with anyone but her, she thought. I thought I was going to die. Every excuse that she tossed through her mind fell flat. What did intentions matter? There was no way around it. She had screwed up.

"I'm sorry," she said.

"Do you expect me to forgive you?"

She scowled.

"Of course not. I don't apologize expecting something in return."

"Hmm." He flopped back onto the futon. "I didn't think so. You're not the type." He paused. "Though I didn't think you were the type to cheat on someone, either."

"Neither did I," she said.

They stared at each other in silence for a few long moments. Eventually, he sighed and shook his head.

"You were cruel but I was a dumbass. And I'm still a dumbass, because I forgive you. And…we don't have to break up. I love you." He winced at the look of pity he received.

"I'm sorry," she repeated. "That one act isn't the real reason we have to break up. I did everything wrong." She clenched her fists. Even in such a desperate situation, how could she have compromised her ethics so flagrantly? Even going back before that, why did she let her loneliness drive her to lead her friend on?

"You're dumping me."

"Yes," she said. "You shouldn't settle for a second-rate love."

He stood up and shoved his hands into his pockets. With some alarm Rei thought he looked a little like his highschool self, slouched over like that. She felt guilt wrack her once again.

"I know what you're thinking, Hino Rei. You're not a bad person." He turned away but his shaky voice betrayed his tears. "You just made a mistake. But you'll always be my hero. " He moved toward the door, then, but just before exiting he called out: "I'll call you. Bye."

* * *

Months later the four moved into their own rooms.

It was unhealthy, Ami said. They needed to re-establish boundaries as separate people.

Screw that, Rei had argued. We're healthiest when we're together.

Her argument hadn't gotten her far enough. If only she could have spit it out. If only she could have confessed that she desperately needed the company of the others to avoid excruciating nightmares. The others had been doing better, but she still woke up in a cold sweat every night. She dreamt of getting brutally injured. She dreamt of killing people with her bare hands.

But the worst was when she dreamt of stabbing Minako. That was when she would wake up crying, and she would cry for an hour until she fell asleep again. After only a few nights alone in her bedroom she was exhausted, though for the moment her fatigue was obvious to only one person. The next time she woke up crying she found Usagi sitting next to her on the bed.

"Minako," Rei whimpered, and even as Usagi pulled Rei into a hug and told her not to cry, Usagi found herself crying as well. After a long bout their tears softened into sniffles and Rei pulled back and glared at Usagi.

"It's useless if you cry, too."

"Sorry I'm so bad at comforting people."

A moment later their lips met, soft and hesitant, at first, but soon their mouths opened and they shared heaving breaths as their kisses grew more passionate. Usagi shifted to straddle Rei and pushed her back onto the bed.

"I can't believe it."

The sensation of Usagi speaking against her lips drove Rei to utter distraction. She pulled her closer and let her tongue slide against hers. Usagi indulged for a moment before pulling back.

"You kept your promise. You told me that you'd live. You told me that you wouldn't leave me alone. And you're alive."

"And you're not alone."

Her words felt familiar and when heat flared through her she remembered they had exchanged the same words that time they had made love in the flower shop. She craned her neck up until they were kissing once again. She pulled at Usagi's shirt and mentally thanked her for being so prone to button-up pyjamas. She worked the buttons but Usagi was being so slow and languid with her kisses and even slower with the hands that slid under her shirt and up against her abdomen. And when Usagi drew back yet again, she tried to hold back a growl. She knew she had failed when she heard Usagi's laugh.

"So, I thought about it."

Leave it to her to try to have a conversation right at this instant. Rei clutched Usagi's shirt and struggled to remember what Usagi could possibly be referring to, but her mind refused to co-operate.

"About what?"

"About what you said, on the rooftop."

_I know I can't have all of you. I'd just – If I could do it all over again, I'd be happy with any part of you._

The sentence had repeated through Usagi's mind over and over again over the past months as she thought about it. She thought about how she was probably being unfair to both Mamoru and Rei. She seriously doubted either of them would actually be happy about having to share her. But they had both decided to accept it. And who was she to make decisions for others? Who was she to decide what was best? If they were willing, she'd accept.

But she had to make sure. Just one more time, she had to hear it.

"Did you really mean it?"

Now Rei remembered what Usagi was referring to. She trailed kisses down Usagi's neck to her collarbone as she answered.

"Of course I meant it." She felt a pang of sympathy for Yuuichirou as she murmured her next words. "I love you. I want to be with you no matter what."

"Then, even if I'm still with Mamoru, will you be with me, too?"

"Yes, yes, of course," she sighed. She pulled herself back up and met Usagi's eyes. "Just don't mention his name again, for now. I only want to hear mine." She flipped Usagi over and smiled at the blush that rose up her neck and cheeks.

* * *

"Please don't make that face," Mamoru said.

Rei had practically bounded into the kitchen the next morning, trying to whistle a tune and not quite succeeding due to her beaming, smug smile.

"Sorry," she said, though she did nothing to tone down the smile.

"So I guess she _spoke_ to you," Mamoru said, pushing the milk across the table towards her.

"A few words were exchanged." She poured the milk into her cereal bowl and turned to stare at the monitors. She watched them for a few minutes before she glanced back at Mamoru. "Um…she did speak to you about it first, right?"

Mamoru nodded. Rei turned back to the monitors and ate her breakfast at an alarming rate. Mamoru watched, amused, as she poured herself a second bowl.

"Are you really okay with it?" he asked.

"No," she said airily.

"Me neither," Mamoru said. "I tried, but I realized I hated to see her with all those guys and girls she dated." He reached for the cereal box and shook it. Empty. "But I know she really loves you. And I know you love her at least as much as I do. So if you're going to be the other woman, it's okay."

"Frankly, I don't share the sentiment. But if it's the only way, it's okay."

He smiled. "Then, let's get along."

"Don't we always?"

Mere minutes after their conversation ended, Usagi strode into the kitchen and awkwardly stared at the two of them. They all knew the situation in its entirety, of course, but Usagi had failed to imagine just how weird it would be when actually faced with both of them, at the same time.

"Oh my god…" Mamoru said, his voice filled with dread. "Usako…"

He paused. She leaned forward.

"About the cereal…"

Usagi approached the kitchen table and reached for the box. She peered inside.

"I'm sorry," he continued. "I couldn't stop her. I guess, even now, I'm no good as your protector."

She slowly placed the box back onto the table. "Mamo-chan, Rei-chan," she said, her voice laced with disappointment. She whirled and poked Rei in the shoulder. "You don't even eat Chocobomb Explosion!"

"I was in the mood for something sweet," Rei said.

Usagi managed to blush and look incensed at the same time.

"You…" Her lips trembled. She looked like she didn't know whether to yell at her or cry.

She settled for both.

Over the sound of her tears and her tirade, Rei and Mamoru exchanged small smiles.

* * *

For the first time in several months, she had a nightmare.

She dreamt of high heels clicking against blood-spattered streets. She dreamt of bright bows splashing dark days with color.

She woke up with a gasp. It took her a few moments to realize she was breathing rather rapidly. She took a few heaving breaths to calm her heart rate and wiped the sweat from the back of her neck.

"What's wrong?"

To her right Usagi spun around to face her. During the course of the night she had, of course, once again stolen all the blankets, and wrapped up as she was she looked like a caterpillar in a cocoon, safe from all harm until ready to emerge.

Which was how Rei wanted to keep it. "Nothing's wrong," she wanted to say, even though she had just woken up from a nightmare with the distinct tone of prescience. "Nothing at all," she wanted to say, even as her eyes widened when she took in how the sword on the nightstand behind Usagi had begun to very slightly glow.

Instead, she said: "Usagi…I had a vision."

* * *

Hundreds of miles away, alien spacecraft sped toward Earth.

**THE END**

A/N: …Or is it?

I wanted to give this a definitive ending but this happened instead. Keep your eyes peeled for a sequel, coming Summer 2013.

Anyway.

I wrote several different endings and finally decided on this one. I hope it serves as a satisfying resolution (for now). I aimed to be as Sailor Moon as possible while staying true to the spirit of this story. More importantly, I wanted the ending to do the Sailor Senshi justice, as I hope I have done throughout the story. There is no group of fictional characters that I love as much.

Thanks for reading.

I would especially like to thank everyone who has reviewed, favourited, and followed. I considered every bit of commentary. And every bit of encouragement helped. This fic is dedicated to all of you.


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